Silent Tears
by DarkHiems-hime
Summary: The BladeBreakers found a girl, beaten and hurt. What really happened to her? And why are the bit beasts restless, affirming that there are evil forces out there? Does Iris OC have something to do with this mystery? KaiOC, RayMariah, OCTalaOC
1. Mystery

**Dark: Ok, my 1st chap of Silent Tears is here, re-posted AGAIN, becoz someone decided that it wud b amusing 2 erase my account. Anyways, it's here nevertheless. I'll b posting once a week, every Sunday, not sooner, not later, since this fic is complete. Within 12 weeks, it'll be over. It took me about 3 yrs to conclude it all, but it was worth it. Hope u leave some nice reviews, that's y I'm giving u a week 2 do so, ne.**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, but the plot and the weird names of characters and/or bitbeasts mean they belong to me, get it? Good. Steal them and I'll sic all my pets on u. I own no songs of any band whatsoever either.

**Summary:** The BladeBreakers found a girl, beaten and hurt. So, who did this? And why is she saying that all boys are murderers and rapists? What really happened to her? And why are the bit beasts restless, affirming that there are evil forces out there? What's BIOVOLT planning to do next? Does Iris (OC) have something to do with this mystery? Kai/OC, Ray/Mariah, OC/Tala/OC.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**My character:  
**  
Name: Iris Blanchett

Age: 13 and a half.

Family: all dead, sister one year older, Miranda, killed in front of her eyes.

Nationality: French/Portuguese.

Home country: Portugal. She has a lot of pride on it.

Past: she was kidnapped at the age of six. She has no memories about her family except from her sister, which she dreams constantly about. She has her bitbeast since then, and trained a lot, and she's one of the best. All her life she was tortured, raped and abused.

Clothing: usually with black clothes, she's always with trousers, she's dreadful of skirts. Two piercings in each ear. Fingerless black gloves that go all the way till half of her arm (think Kai's gloves on v-force). Black and white boots or silver trainers. Various shirts. She's always with a necklace with the form of a silver phoenix, where she keeps the bit of her beyblade. The small wings of the phoenix clasp the bit.

Physically: Escalated waist-length black hair, red on the tips. Heart shaped face. Full red lips, and silver/light-blue eyes, when she's happy they are silver, when she's angry they change to blood red. She has a narrow waist, and a nice body.

Psychologically: she's scared to death of boys. Until she know the BladeBreakers, that is. She's shy, very comprehensive, a good hearer, a nice person, but very vengeful. However, on the battlefield she's fast, very powerful and merciless; she likes to end the game quickly.

Bitbeast: Lugiohan (read Lugui-oh-ahnn). A white phoenix, similar to Dranzer. She's very pretty and gracious. Eyes green and the tips of her wings are red as her mistress' hair.

Beyblade: All black, the tips of the attack ring, blood red. Right spin. The attack ring has four parts, with normal macrons, good equilibrium and a firm defence ring.

Element: Thunder.

Attacks: Thunder clasp (lightning attacks the opponent), Seeker Spirit (her special, you'll see what it does...) and hypnotism (Lugiohan's eyes shine a red colour and hypnotise the adversary, used in double combats, of four players you know.)

Description: Lugiohan's very loyal to Iris. They have a bond very strong and they speak telepathically. She belonged to Iris' sister, but when she died, Lugiohan was passed to Iris.

* * *

**Prologue... Mystery**

_I walk a lonely road  
The only one that I have ever known  
Don't know where it goes  
But it's home to me and I walk alone _

I walk this empty street  
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams  
When the city sleeps  
And I'm the only one and I walk alone

I walk alone  
I walk alone

I walk alone  
I walk a...

My shadow's only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
Till then I walk alone

I'm walking down the line  
That divides me somewhere in my mind  
On the border line  
Of the edge and where I walk alone

Read between the lines  
What's fucked up and everything's alright  
Check my vital signs  
And know I'm still alive and I walk alone

I walk alone  
I walk alone

I walk alone  
I walk a...

My shadow's only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
Till then I walk alone

I walk alone  
I walk a...

I walk this empty street  
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams  
When the city sleeps  
And I'm the only one and I walk a...

My shadow's only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
Till then I walk alone...

On a big house, paid by Mr. Dickenson, near the school Tyson, Kenny, Hilary and now Max attended, the famous BladeBreakers were training. As usual. Kai, being the captain, never did anything else, except attend to his and now Ray's school, which was three blocks away from the other school.

But they were training inside, on a special room for training because outside was raining. Hard. More like a deluge! Tyson was tired, WAY tired. He was training with Max, and even his normally sugar-high friend was starting to let his eyelids drop. Kai and Ray were training neck-on-neck too. Kai was sweating and Ray was exhausted too.

"Dranzer!" Kai called. "Let's rest a bit. And who has homework, go and do it, as not to lose any more time." Kai was acting like this because within three weeks, the world-champions were going to Europe, more specifically, to Portugal. They were invited by Mr. Dickenson to attend to a tournament. So they didn't have much time, they had to train.

_'Finally!'_ Tyson went to the kitchen, where he did himself a sandwich. He was bored: Kai with his training... and Hilary with homework and exams... _'Man, don't these guys got anything better to do!' _Sure he liked blading, but this way, it sucked... And, like a normal, curious boy he liked school, but now it was so much work!

He went to the windowsill, and contemplated the grey sky. Now he was confused. _'What's gonna happen when I grow up? I mean, Grandpa will pass by sometime, and now that I have 13 years is complicated, what's gonna happen within five years?'_ He tilted his head down. There was the garden, some trees, a girl laid down... Yeah, all the same as always. WAIT A SECOND! _'A girl?'_ There WAS a girl! Crouched, in black robes...

"GUYS, THERE'S A GIRL OUTSIDE!" Tyson shouted, as he opened the door. His team-mates came a few seconds later, quickly followed by Hilary. They all ran towards the girl.

"Oh. My. GOD!" Hilary gasped.

The girl was mostly covered in blood. No one wanted to touch her, not by disgust, but for fear that they might hurt the poor female. Until Kai stepped in and knelt beside her. He touched her arm gently, "Sill warm." he murmured. He pressed two fingers to her neck inside her hood. "She's alive, but barely. We have to take her inside. I don't think she'll make it to the hospital. She needs to warm up." Kai said hurriedly, and all his friends could swear that there was a note of concern on his voice.

"Let's take her inside! Then we'll see." Ray voiced everyone's thoughts. Kai, being the stronger, put one arm underneath her knees and the other around her mid-back. She cringed.

"No... Men- all murderers... all rapists. N-No... LET ME GO!" a voice screamed, the girl's, but not as loud as she seemed to want it; her voice was quite gruff. And because of this, she spent her last energies and let the welcoming blackness take over... She fainted.

"Wha...? Murderers and rapists? Man, what happened?" Tyson looked at the girl unbelievingly.

"Look, something must've happened for her to have that opinion. Or maybe she's just dizzy and doesn't know what she's saying. But right now, let's get her inside!" Hilary tapped her foot impatiently.

They got the beaten girl inside and put her in one of the couches. Hilary got a damp cloth, and placed it gently on the girl's forehead. "One of you, bring my backpack. I have my PE equipment there. She needs to change, she's soaking wet." Hilary said, taking control as usual.

"I'll go." Max offered, exiting the room quickly. After he arrived, Hilary shooed the boys away. When they were gone, she took the girl's boots and trousers.

"No... Oh no..." tears brimmed her eyes, as her hand covered her mouth. The girl's legs were all bruised and her thighs were drenched in blood. 'She was raped.' Hilary was well informed. She knew that raped girls could bleed from their vagina some hours after the act. And the poor female was no exception. Blood oozed freely from her inner regions. And she wasn't wearing any knickers, probably ripped off by her aggressor.

Hilary took her shirt then. She was without words. The young woman in front of her was wearing no bra, her breasts were all bitten and cut, her stomach was black and blue, also way too thin, even for a top-model. Around her neck there was, however, the most beautiful necklace that Hilary ever saw. It was a beautiful phoenix, all silver, real silver; its eyes looked like they were made of two small rubies, and its wings were embracing what seemed to be a bit chip of a beyblade with a bit beast as well! _'Ought to tell the guys about it._' With deft hands, Hilary treated the girl's wounds. Once in a while, the girl flinched, but never woke up. When she finished, Hilary dressed her up. Actually, the girl was very pretty, without counting the bruises and cuts, of course. Hilary went outside the room, and told everything to the BladeBreakers.

"Raped? But then she must go to a hospital, to check if she isn't pregnant or anything serious." Ray looked at the others gravely.

"No... Please, don't... take me to... the hospital." someone whispered. It was the girl again. She slowly sat upright on the couch as she hugged herself. Her eyes were scared, almost dreadful. The gang saw four things on those silver hues: fear, humiliation, pain and misery.

"Hey..." Hilary said softly, "Don't be afraid. We aren't going to hurt you... And why don't you want to go to a hospital?"

"Because they're after me! The man that did this to me made all authorities, hospitals and media pass the news that I escaped his... err, school. But I escaped to run away from him and some others. No big secret there."

"I see. So you need some kind of protection... Oh, I'm Chief or Kenny, that's Tyson, the other's Max, she's Hilary, he's Ray and that boy over there is Kai, our team captain." Kenny said, as he pointed to each in turn.

"Hang on, you're the BladeBreakers? Oh, yes I heard of you. And yes, I need some protection. And I'd appreciate it, if you'd let me stay here for a couple of nights. Please." Her voice was very soft, almost a bird's song, even if it was slightly hoarse. Her accent went almost unnoticed.

"Sure! But.. If you don't mind, err telling us a bit about yourself. Umm, we already know you were raped." Hilary looked down apologetically.

"You... you mean, they saw me nude?" she asked, looking at the boys, her face going deadly pale.

"N-NO! It was Hilary who dressed you up and treated your wounds! I swear that we all stayed outside!" Tyson stated quickly, hands stretched out in a sign of peace.

"Oh." She looked calmer. "Do you know how I got here?"

"We were hoping you'd tell us that. I looked outside the window and saw you on the ground. I called the guys and we took you in." Tyson said.

"Ummm, where... where am I?"

"You're in Tokyo, Japan. But you aren't Japanese, are you?" Kai approached, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"No, I'm not. I'm half French, half Portuguese."

"So, tell us who you are. And about your past." Ray continued.

"Oh, it's so exciting... I've been raped all my life!" she said ironically, "Well, there's not much to know. The name's Iris C. Blanchett. My older sister, Miranda, is dead. She died right in front of me. Killed by a man's gun. That same man kidnapped me, saying that I had something that he wanted. This." She showed her necklace.

: Kai! Look at the bit. It's a bitbeast! Also a phoenix:

_'Oh, really? How exciting...'_ Kai retorted apathetically. He didn't think that that was interesting, or important for that matter.

: If you think that it isn't important, I do! It has something to do with Lugiohan, I just know it:

_'Sorry, with whom?'  
_  
: The Thunder Phoenix. Very powerful. Between us, I don't know who is the best... That bit chip looks dreadfully like her: Dranzer replied apprehensively.

_'Ah, so it's a she?'_ Kai teased.

: Shut up, and think about it: Dranzer snapped, while he leaved his young master's mind.

"But he'll NEVER have it." Iris continued, "My sis gave it to me. It was hers before she died. As I refused to give it to that freak, he tortured me. However, I didn't give in. So, as that wasn't working, he changed his tactic. He laid me on a bed. I knew what he was going to do. But I didn't care; I'd die before I gave my bit beast away. He slapped and kicked me for God knows how long. My opinion didn't budge. So he raped me. Again, and again, and again. My body was broken, yes. However my spirit made it through the pain." The BladeBreakers backed away. Her eyes, silver a minute ago, were blood red, and she was absolutely furious.

_'This must be hard for her. She is telling us what she'd been through, but remembering at the same time.'_ Tyson thought.

As Iris continued with her story, her voice rising as fast as her temper was, "I couldn't do anything... He always gave me an injection so that I couldn't get pregnant. It's the only thing that I ever thanked him." By now, there was a heavy, uncomfortable silence between her spectators. How can she go through everything that happened to her? Her innocence was ripped off of her like a piece of paper ripped by a beyblade.

"Hey if you don't wanna tell anything else we understand... Ummm, by the way, your eyes are... errr, blood red. They were light blue. Are... Are you okay, Iris? Is that even normal?" Tyson scratched his head sheepishly. The rest of the BladeBreakers sweat-dropped.

"I'm fine. My eyes change colour when I'm angry or emotional. And I'll continue. I started, I'll finish it." Iris explained, "So, I decided: I had to run... my life couldn't get any worse than it already was... So, one night, after I was raped for the god-knows-what time, I ran. I eluded the security system and ran free for the first time in four years. It was pure bliss, after years without going out of that building. I ran for the airport, my bags clutched in my hands. I found a plane that was heading to Portugal, my home country, to my city, Porto. So, I passed the guards and put my luggage beside the other people's as to spare me the job of transporting it. Then I went to the beach, to catch a ship. The Russian guards were still following me."

"And your luggage?"

"Safe in Portugal, I guess. When I arrive there, I'll get it." Iris forced a small smile upon her lips. But they all noticed the way she recoiled when the blond spoke up.

"Wait a second. Russian guards? You mean, all this time you've been in Russia?"

"Yes. In Moscow."

"Hn." was the only reply she got from the slate-haired teen.

"So you hided in one ship, and sailed to Japan all the way since Russia?" asked Kenny.

"Yeah, I think. I took any boat. All I wanted was to get out of that country." She shrugged casually.

"Okaaaaaay. And now, to explain this to Mr. Dickenson." Kenny got out of the room to phone Mr. Dickenson, and inform him of Iris.

"So, what are we gonna do with you?" Ray questioned to no one in particular.

"Please, I need some place to be, to hide for at least a few days... In these last ones, all I did was run. Please..." Iris leaned back on the couch, looking at each of them in turn. Her eyes had changed to silvery-blue again.

"Look, it's not that. We'd let you stay here, no problem. But we do have to train and within three weeks we're going to Europe, to attend to a tournament." Kai explained, "And speaking of that, we still need a player for the pairs combats..."

"Hmm, ya know Kai, I think I've got the solution, now that I think about it." Hilary grinned, turning to Iris, "Are you good at beyblading, Iris?"

"Yeah. Want a try?" she smirked, looking a bit more comfortable now that the subject was blading.

"We could see if she's good enough to join the team. Then, we could ask Mr. D. to put her as your team-mate, if she's good and willing, and there will be no problem with her journey to Europe."

"Hey! It's the first time I agree with you, Hilary! It's a good idea! What do you think, Kai?" Tyson turned to his captain, as everyone else's eyes turned to him.

"Fine by me. I'm your opponent. Let's see what you've got there." Kai's challenge put Iris on her feet immediately, as she smiled mysteriously at him. They walked to the stadium of that same room. Taking out Dranzer and his launcher, Kai bent his knees slightly, going into combat stance.

"Oh, I will. You won't be disappointed." She grinned. The gang saw her canines glinting, looking more like fangs; they were longer than usual, just like Ray's. She took out her beyblade. It was black as the sky in a moonless night, except for the small red tips on it, looking menacing. Her launcher was also black, with red here and there. (a/n:. think Ray's launcher colour, with the design of Kai's).

"3... 2... 1... LET IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!" Max shouted.

"Dranzer!"

"You can do it, Lugiohan!"

The blades started to circle each other, as if testing the other's speed and aptitude. Both beyblade's were only a blur, because of their fastness. Then, both came to the middle of the dish and made contact, sending sparks all over the place. The bit chips were shining, showing just how much both phoenixes wanted to come out and fight.

"Dranzer, arise!"

"Lugiohan, show him what real power and control is! I invoke your spirit, Phoenix of Thunder!" _'Use Thunder Clash, Lugiohan.'_ Iris stretched her arm out in Lugiohan's direction.

: Certainly, master/mistress. : both bitbeasts replied to their respective bladers.

Dranzer appeared in a flash of bright red light, mighty and magnificent as always. Lugiohan emerged with a beautiful chanted song in a beam of pure white light.

"Dizzy, take a look at this! Record the battle, ok? I wanna analyse it later." Chief quickly positioned the camera to the battle.

Fire and Thunder fought for victory, both blades spinning and striking each other powerfully. But Dranzer and Lugiohan weren't really fighting. It was like they were hypnotized by each other. They were just flying oppositely, and keeping eye contact. But just then, Lugiohan surged forward and attacked Dranzer head-on. As both their elements fought, they attacked each other body's with their talons, and in spiral they flew up. And as soon as they started it, they separated and returned to their respective blades, disappearing after a quiet screech by both parts. The beyblade's started to slow down, and came to a stop, both fuming.

Nobody moved; all of them were amazed by the girl's power. It's not everyday that Kai ties to anyone, let alone a girl. It was just... **strange**.

"Soooooo... That means you're in or out? Kai?" Once more, all eyes were on the youngest Hiwatari.

"She's... in, I guess." He muttered quietly.

"Yay! She's in, she's in, SHE'S IN!" Tyson, Max and Ray sang, cheering happily.

"Hey!" Tyson suddenly stopped, "Let's eat! I'm hungry!" They all sweat-dropped at the intromission.

"Well, I suppose it's time to make dinner, it's already 19.20! Wow, I didn't know it was that late already.." Hilary glanced at the clock, a bit surprised.

"Umm, may I help you?" Iris asked a bit shyly.

"Okay. If you want to, I'd appreciate it! It'll be faster." Both girls went into the kitchen.

"Heh, they seem to be friends already." Ray chuckled softly as he watched them go.

"Yeah. But I sure hope that she's not like Hilary or anything. Man, two girls ordering me around... I dunno if I could stand the shame." Tyson put his arm across his forehead in a lame representation. They all laughed at that.

…30 minutes later…  
"There! All done. Ya know, it's cool to have your company here... It gets awfully boring. All the guys talk about is sport, football and beyblading." Hilary commented, quite honestly. "They don't understand the good things in life!"

Iris snickered, "Yeah. That's men for you; all a bunch of lazy asses! Well, it's a pleasure to be here, too. Better than hiding among the streets. And, sure I talk to Lugiohan, but with you, I can have a two-side conversation 'bout hair-cuts, fashion and stuff like that."

"Wow! You can speak with your bit beast?"

"Well, yeah. I have a strong bond with her, if I can say so myself." Iris smirked proudly, "Shall we call the boys, then?"

"Hang on. Before that, I want you to be extremely sincere with me about a thing I'm about to ask you. Deal?" Hilary smirked slightly.

"Umm, deal. Ok, what do you have in store for me?" an eyebrow rose curiously.

"Tell me, in decreasing order, which one of the BladeBreakers you think is the hottest." The brunette challenged, folding her arms.

"WHAT! No way, are you crazy? I know them for about half an hour! How should I know!"

"Awww, c'mon! They're all hot, in their own kind of way. I just wanna know your opinion!"

"Alright, fine! I'll tell you." Iris sighed in a defeated way. "May I start in increasing order?"

"Okie."

"Well, Kenny, in my opinion."

"Hu huh, next."

"Max. He's cute and nice, but isn't my style."

"Fair enough, next."

"Ummm, I think that'll be Tyson. He's friendly, yes, but also dumb and clumsy. Not for me."

"Ok, next?" Hilary smirked, so much that she was almost grinning evilly.

No answer.

"Yes?"

"Ray."

"OH, SO YOU THINK THAT-mfhgjhdf!" Iris quickly placed her hand over Hilary's mouth.

"Keep quiet!" she said hurriedly, blushing faintly, "I don't want them to figure that out!"

"Sorry. So, you think that Kai Hiwatari is the hottest?" whispered Hilary.

"Yeah, guess I do. Because, if you think about it, his childhood was as bad as mine, except for the part of being raped." Iris confessed. Her mouth twisted into an evil little grin, "Hn, and what about you?"

"Me!" Hilary looked a bit embarrassed, "Well, I-I like Tyson for about a year. But I dunno if he loves me back. Sometimes I believe he really does, but... I just don't know."

"Don't worry about it; the perfect guy is coming for you, even if it isn't Tyson." Iris said soothingly, "By the way, tomorrow morning I need to go shopping, you know... To buy some clothes for me. I can't use yours forever."

"Sure. Need any money?"

"Nah! I have a credit card." Iris winked, "I stole it before I ran away from Russia." Both girls chuckled.

"Ok, I guess it's time to call the boys or else Tyson will throw down the door." Hilary whipped away a tear from all the laughing. They both laughed some more after her last sentence.

Even if someone **was** interested in the news, they couldn't have listened, because the girls' conversation was just too loud. And because of that, no one was informed that a girl had escaped from Valkov Abbey, in the centre of Moscow.

After dinner, the girls sat on the couch comfortably and watched TV for some time. The BladeBreakers were training a bit, while Kenny was in his room with Dizzy, analysing Lugiohan, along with the battle that both phoenixes had made.

"You have to sleep on someone's bed though. This couch is way too small and cold to sleep on. And you can't sleep on my bed, because I have to go back home. You have to sleep in one of the boys' rooms." Hilary turned to her, a glint in her eye, "I know! In Kai's!"

"Wha...? NO! I will **not** sleep with anyone. I'll sleep on the couch. I really don't mind. I'm used to that."

"Oh, c'mon! Believe me, Kai's a sourpuss, emotionless and careless. He'll leave you alone all night. Tyson told me that he doesn't even stir in his sleep. So?"

"No, no, really, I'll just-" In that same moment, the boys entered.

"Oye, there. Look, Iris has to sleep somewhere, but where? I thought of Kai's bedroom, because he doesn't stir or anything. And he's soooooooooo good that he won't care about a girl, right, Kai?" teased Hilary.

"What? No way she'll sleep in my bed!" Kai frowned, glancing at Iris briefly.

"Awww, c'mon Kai! She can't sleep on the couch... It's way too small!" Tyson grinned at the slate-haired teen's obvious discomfort.

"GRRR! Very well. But only for tonight! Tomorrow we ought to buy another bed. And that's that." he crossed his arms over his chest, eyes closing.

"Speaking of sleep, we should go to bed. Tomorrow we have school in the morning..." Ray said.

"C'mon, this way. Follow me." Kai spoke quietly, as he glanced at Iris. He knew he had to speak calmly and softly or she would be frightened of him. 'And that would be just what I needed...'

: Is it just that reason, young Kai:

_'Shut it, Dranzer.'_ The great Fire Phoenix only chuckled.

They climbed the stairs till they arrived to the second floor, turning right. Kai opened the last door of the corridor. It was a simple room, with a bed big enough for two people, a wardrobe and a writing-desk; all in the colour of fire. It had another door on the opposite wall.

"There's the bathroom." He gestured the door with his arm, "Just give me fifteen minutes." He took his pyjama bottoms and entered the bathroom.

Iris let out a sigh that she hadn't realised she was holding. She collapsed onto the bed. _'Mmmm, fluffy and with his scent all around it... Oh, what the hell am I saying?'_ she sat up quickly, _'Am I... falling for him? Does that mean that I'm in love with him? No way!'_

: Mistress, it is called love at first sight.:

_'But that isn't possible... You know that.'  
_  
: And why not, youngling:

_'I-I'm afraid of men... all of them... Right?'  
_  
: ...No exactly. Maybe you found a boy in who you can trust. Maybe. Give him a chance, Mistress. :

_'You know what happened with Boris. I don't know if I can do it...'  
_  
: Yes, I do and yes, you can. Believe in me, in you. Be brave, Iris. Miranda would've wanted that. : Lugiohan left her mind gently.

In that moment, Kai entered again. Shirtless. _'God, what a chest...'_ He was well-muscled indeed.

"Which side do you prefer?" Kai stood beside the bed, waiting for her reply.

"Oh yeah." She snapped out of her day-dream at the sound of his voice, "I take the right one if you don't mind."

He shrugged casually, "No. Just.. Stop being afraid, alright? I promise that I won't hurt you. None of us will. That Dranzer leave me if I'm lying."

She seemed to relax at that, even if she was still looking at him warily. And it was at that exact moment that Kai Hiwatari, captain of the World Champions, cold and steady beyblader, fell in love with a girl. A simple, black-haired silver-eyed girl.

_'She's gorgeous just like that.. How I want to hold her, take the pain and fear away from those eyes, kiss her lips and — Hey! Where the hell did that came from? C'mon, I'm only 14. Stop thinking like that... I don't even know her.'  
_  
The distance between them shortened without them realising it, as their heads got nearer and nearer, both thinking the exact same thing for a brief moment:

_'Is this love?'  
_  
Iris placed both her hands on his cheeks and kissed him fully on the lips. Kai was taken by surprise, as he fell backwards on the bed. She went on top of him, as to straddle his waist, keeping most of her weight off of him. He placed his hands over her small waist, balancing her.

The kiss deepened, both teens parting their lips to taste each other's. _'So sweet..'_ They both thought absently. She ran her hands through his messy hair, then to his chest, where he moaned quietly. She shuddered at the low sound. He ran his hands up and down her sides, starting to pull the hem of her shirt up, but she tensed up, backing away and off of him.

"Wha.. What is it?" he sat up immediately, looking at her. He noticed the fear in her silvery hues.

"I'm sorry... I-I didn't mean to.." she trailed off, avoiding his eyes. Kai reached up, taking her chin in one of his hands.

"Shhh. It's okay. I know." His features softened slightly, as he pulled her gently onto his lap, but she placed both her hands firmly on his chest.

"No! That was a mistake! You know it as much as I-"

"It wasn't a mistake! You felt that, as good as I did. Stop denying it!"

She backed away from him again.

"No... No, I'm sorry.. You're right. We shouldn't." Kai pulled away, putting some more distance between them. With that, she relaxed a bit more.

"It's not like that, Kai. I-I know what I felt, as you do. I'm not denying it. But..." a soft sigh left her bow-shaped lips.

"But?"

"I'm not quite ready for that kind of contact yet... I'm sorry. Too early, too fresh on my mind.." that last part was whispered more to herself than to him, "Give me some time. I promise it'll be worth it." A small smile played upon her lips.

He found himself smiling back, as he nodded. "Take your time. This isn't a test or anything like that." He laid back on the bed, pulling the right side of the covers back, in an inviting motion. "Come on, you should be tired."

Iris followed his example, her back to him, as she let her head rest on the pillow and felt a warm hand on the gentle curve of her waist. A quiet chuckle escaped her, _'Maybe you were right, Lugiohan. I should give him a chance.'_ The bit chip on her necklace shined in reply, warming up her skin reassuringly.

_'I think this will be the first night of sleep without any nightmares.'_ That was the last thought of both teenagers in that first night.

* * *

…TBC…

**Dark: That was it, 4 a 1st chap. Plz leave a review & the 2nd chap will b here w/in a week. B nice; I'd do the same**


	2. Walking, running, battling

**Dark: 2nd chap of Silent Tears ready, on time, this Sunday, like I said I would do. 11 weeks 2 go. Though I'm disappointed at the lack of reviews from u, ne.**

**Summary/Disclaimer:** **check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.**

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 1... Walking, running, battling...**

In the house, everything was quiet. Not a sound. Except for the loud snoring coming from Tyson, and the soft breathing of the rest of the teenagers. Everything was calm.

: Kai. :

_'Hn? What… Can't it wait? It's like... 3 in the morning!'_ Kai mentally snapped at one very nervous-sounding Fire Phoenix.

: Kai, something is not right. A dark force is there somewhere... I can feel it... I think I know what it is, but I can't identify it. I am not completely sure. :

"What force?" two voices questioned out loud. Hang on, two?

Kai looked at his left and found himself looking into the most beautiful silver blue eyes he had ever seen.

"Sorry if I woke you up..." Iris muttered.

"Dranzer was the one who woke me up, actually." He shrugged.

"Did he say something about an evil force?"

"Yeah, he did; why do you ask?"

"Well... Lugiohan told me the exact same thing."

Kai looked away, lost in thought. What **was** that force?

"Do you... think we should investigate?" Iris spoke up, seeing that he didn't say anything else.

"Yeah. I mean, Dranzer is normally calm, but when he told me, I felt his worry. It must be serious. Maybe Dizzy knows something; she's a bit beast herself after all."

"Err, who's Dizzy?"

"Know that laptop that Kenny is always carrying? In it, there's a trapped bitbeast-" Iris gaped at him, "-Named Dizzy, that is able to talk. With her help, Kenny can analyse our beyblade's, their speed, technique and strategy. She's very helpful to the team."

"I didn't know that that was even possible..." her eyebrows rose.

Only now did they look down. And both blushed faintly. Kai was on his left side, arms around her waist, as if he was pulling her close to him. Iris, on the other hand, was on her right side, facing him, her right hand on his chest; the other resting on his right side, almost at his hip; her legs were straddling his right one.

They quickly separated.

'_How did we end up like that?_' was the exact same thought of them both. However, they failed to notice the soft shinning of their respective bit chips, on the nightstand.

Soon after, Kai glanced at the digital clock on the wall. "It's already 7.00am. I'll take the bathroom first, if that's okay with you."

"Sure, go ahead. Just one more thing, when's Hilary coming? I need to change..." she pointed to the clothes she was still wearing.

"She's coming at 7.45. You'll have to stay here, 'till we're back from school though. Tyson, Kenny and Hilary are coming at 13.30. But Ray and I are back at 12.00 (a/n:. I'm putting my school's schedules. Tyson, Kenny and Hilary got out at 13.20, which give them time to get home in 10min. Kai and Ray leave at 11.40, to get to the house 20 min after, 'coz the school's a little more distant. Classes start at 8.20). The house is yours to visit."

"Okie, thanks."

…Half an hour later, the kitchen…  
"Hey," Tyson suddenly said with his mouth full, making Max fall over his chair with laughter, "Tha footh'sh gread! Ya cook reelly vell, Irish!"

"Yeah... Err, thanks." Iris replied, after a bit of translating, "I like to cook. It's the least I can do, after you guys let me stay."

"Don't worry about that! You're one of us now!" Max said happily after getting up.

She gave a small smile, "That's true."

"Sorry to break the mood guys, but we're gonna be late." Ray sighed. It was already 8.00.

"Kuso, time flies when we're having a good time..." Tyson grumbled. "Fortunately, this is the last week, and then... SUMMER HOLIDAYS!"

"Shut it, Tyson." Kai threw over his shoulder as he opened the door.

And the morning passed that way. All of them were at school, as Iris was looking around the house, and doing some training in-between. At midday, as Kai had said, he and Ray were back. After the others arrived, they all sat down, eating lunch calmly.

As the girls went out for the promised shopping from yesterday, the boys were... yup, you guessed it, training. The two of them passed their afternoon chatting about each other, shopping, and eating some ice-cream. Hilary told Iris that the boys were going without her, and that the plane wasn't direct; it had a stop at Geneva, Switzerland, and from there, to Porto.

"Porto? You mean the tournament is in Portugal?"

"Yeah. The guys didn't tell you?"

"They probably did, but I was still a bit dizzy from everything that had happened... In that case, when it's over, I could stay there." The black-haired girl grinned.

"Wait, wait, you mean you know that city?"

"Course I do! I was born and grew up till I was six there, till they kidnapped me." Her eyes flashed a dangerous red colour. Hilary didn't fail to notice the emphasis on the word "they".

"Alright, it's already 17.45.. We should go back."

"Yup."

When they got back, Hilary told them the news.

"But that's great! That way, we don't even need a guide." Chief concluded, as they all followed him inside the big house. Except the captain.

"Aren't you coming, Kai?" Iris looked up at him.

"Wouldn't you rather take a walk then go inside? There aren't many days like this, you know."

"Alright, I guess... A walk will do me some good." she gave a small shrug.

He walked away, and barely hesitating, she followed. They started walking away from the mansion-like house.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

"How so?"

"Sometimes I just need get away from everything. And in my wandering about, I found a perfect place for that. Which I want to show you." He pointed to an old path marked by small, square, two palms sized rocks. He started to walk along the sandy path, with Iris close to him. After a bit, the path started to raise a little, and big, tall trees sprouted on both sides of it. They reached to a flat level of land that looked like some kind of upland. To their right there was a mountain around ten feet tall.

"Tall, but it's easy to climb. Follow my lead." Kai assured her, as he stepped forward. When he reached the top, he helped Iris with the rest. After dusting herself off, she looked at the sight in front of her, and gasped. The sight was simply breathtaking. Far, far away on the horizon, there was the most beautiful sun-set she had ever seen in her entire life, colouring the sky in deep reds, soft purples, dark oranges and beautiful dark-blues. And all around, was the neighbourhood, bathed by the big yellow star.

"It's beautiful, Kai!" she breathed.

Kai saw her eyes change to silver, pure silver as she awed. She was the one beautiful... "Every time I feel like I can't take it anymore, I come here. It's calm enough to even calm **me** down." His voice wasn't louder than a whisper, making it seem like the place would disappear if he spoke a bit louder.

"Well, when you get angry, I don't even want to imagine, huh?"

Behind them there was a small forest with trees bigger than those from the path from where they came. '_Oaks_,' Iris realised after she gave them a second look. Kai entered the forest and stood beside an enormous tree among all the others, its branches low enough to climb on easily.

"This is the oldest tree that's here. The birds on it, its leaves and the darkness of it all, makes me relax. It's like it actually soothes my soul and spirit."

"I'm sure of it. It's old, but still beautiful. In my home country there aren't many places like this one..." she confessed sadly. Looking up at the ancient tree, she rested a hand on its trunk. Carefully, almost as if she feared she was going to break them, she climbed the branches, sitting in one of the upper ones. Looking down, she called, "Aren't you coming?" But she didn't see him. Frowning, she tried again; "Kai?"

"Yes?" a breath was felt at her ear. Her arm quickly pulled back to elbow whoever it was, but a stronger hand caught it, "Calm down, it's just me."

"I advise you **not** to do that again if you want to keep your face the way it is..." she lowered her arm, leaning against the trunk, looking at him warily, but enjoying the quiet.

"Guess I'll have to remember that, huh?" he sat beside her, smirking, "I appreciate the caring advice, but I do know how to take care of myself."

"Suit yourself."

After almost two hours later, they arrived at the house.

"Meh, I gotta take a shower..." Iris had started to walk up the stairs, when Kai spoke up.

"You need to take care of those wounds, you know. Want some help with that?"

"Yes, if you don't mind. Just give me an hour or so to bathe."

"Will do."

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"Sorry for causing this much trouble to you guys in only my second day with you." The Lusitanian girl broke the silence, as she lay on the bed in only a bra and a pair of short shorts, after a relaxing shower.

"Tyson's appetite gives us more trouble, believe me." He replied after returning from the bathroom, a first-aid in his hand. She chuckled at that.

"If you don't want me to do this, I can get Hilary."

"No, you do it, please." Her decision didn't budge. Even if her voice wasn't all that sure, she continued, "I ought to do this, to stop being so afraid. I need to go on with my life, and forget the past."

Shrugging, he started to attend to the wounds of her legs, taking off her previous bandages and cleaning the gashes. He reached her thighs, and continued his work. And as lightly as it was, he felt her muscles tense as he treated her.

'_Iris, you have to relax. Only that, relax... You can trust him... Lugiohan trusts him, isn't that enough?_' That wasn't helping all that much. Kai stopped when her breathing became irregular and heavier.

"I told you, you didn't have to do this." He sat beside her on the bed.

"I'm sorry..." she sighed deeply in frustration, "I'm so stupid for being afraid of something so bloody normal!"

"No, you're not. It's normal to be fearful of a being who bad-treated you for almost all your life, even if it wasn't properly me. You already bear more than enough upon your shoulders." His voice had that wise tone we all know of him. He was greeted by silence. "Do you still want to go on?"

"Yes."

Kai stood again and started to attend the small of her back. This time she didn't even flinch. '_Damn, what strength of will she has..._' He touched her as softly as he could, not only to make her feel secure but also as not to hurt her anymore than she already was. Her back seemed to be the place where she was mostly beaten.

"They beat you a lot..." he commented, as to break the silence, even if it wasn't a very pleasant subject.

"Almost every day. I couldn't give them Lugiohan; that'd be the end of her. Even if they capture me again, which I doubt, they will never have her." Her eyes kept changing to blood red and back to silver.

"I'll have to unclasp your bra." She had a diagonal gash since her left hip, to her right shoulder.

"Do it." She replied calmly.

As he did it, she tensed. "Where did you get this?" she could almost see his eyes flash in anger.

"They... It was a whip, in the last night I passed there." She answered.

Kai stayed silent. He was almost sure he would lose his cool if he didn't, and the last thing he needed was to have a girl on his team scared to death of him. And the rest of said team would surely barge in and see their... peculiar position at the moment. If that happened, Kai would never hear the end of it by Tyson's part. And that was damaging his reputation. Out of the question! He clasped her bra again.

"Turn around." He spoke a bit too abruptly. She looked into his eyes, searching for the reason as to why he had spoken to her like that.

He shook his head, eyes shinning with something that she couldn't even begin to name. She nodded, understanding he didn't really mean that. He continued his job, skipping her breasts. "The wounds on your chest aren't serious, are they?"

"No, only bruises and… bites, I think..."

"Bites?" his eyes widened, stopping momentarily, "Who was the-" he paused to control the sudden urge of anger, "Who bit you?"

"The one who raped me..." she whispered, not sure of what he was going to do.

His eyes drifted close as he finished quickly. Sitting on the bed, he let his head lower, his bangs covering most of his face. His lips curled up in a snarl, "Cowards..."

"I know..." Iris quickly dressed, sitting just behind him. At first, she hesitated, but then she shrugged that off. Her hands applied a pleasant amount of pressure upon his shoulders, as she massaged them deftly. Soon enough, the tension she felt there eased. "Come, let's train with the others!" Iris stood up after some minutes.

"Train?" he opened his eyes lazily. He had lain down on the bed, as she massaged him.

"Yes; if we don't wanna lose that tournament of yours, we gotta train. Or have you forgotten that? C'mon, let's find the others."

"Hn." They descended the stairs. Kai was almost hit by a flying pillow, but his blading skills made him turn to the left and easily catch the offending item. An uneasy silence followed his movement. The area was a mess; the coffee-table was on its side, pillows everywhere and the couch was also turned.

Kai was already angered by what Iris had to go through in her past, and this was the final straw. "What the heck do you think you're doing?" he snapped.

"Umm, pillow-fight?" answered Tyson, not really using his brain.

"Fine. I'm going to pretend I'm **not** seeing this..." Kai started to trail around the room, his fiery temper rising along with his voice, "And within FIVE minutes, **ALL** of you will be downstairs in the training room. With this mess clean."

"What! Are you crazy! In five minutes, we can barely **be** downstairs, let alone with this clean..." Tyson complained.

Kai immediately turned to his direction and launched Dranzer, making Tyson ran for his life. Even in this strange situation, the rest of the guys (excluding Tyson, who was running, and Kai, who was commanding Dranzer and smirking at Tyson's reaction) laughed.

After this, (the rest of the BladeBreakers convinced Kai to stop Dranzer and spare Tyson), they all were ready to train.

"Max, you'll compete with Iris, Ray with Tyson. The winners of both encounters will combat each other, and the winner will battle me. After all Dranzer already had a good warm-up." He smirked at Tyson, "Is that understood?" They all nodded.

"Okay... Ready? Annnnd 3... 2... 1! LET IT RIIIP!" incited Tyson to the first round, Max versus Iris.

They both made an excellent launch. Iris started circling Max, as if she was testing him.

"Hey, stop that! I can't get out..." the blond muttered to himself, thinking of a way to get out of the circle. Iris was tightening the pressure and space on him, making sparks appear all over the place. "Draciel!"

Draciel rose, the metal turtle trying to strike the black top. Although, Iris kept smirking in a sinister way as her blade started spinning faster and faster; she was spinning so fast that a black circle was all that they were able to see, making it impossible for Draciel to know where she was. And suddenly, she attacked, harsh and fast, making Draciel spin in the air for a few moments and land out of the beystadium, lightly smoking.

"Wow... Umm, and the winner is... IRIS!"

Now, it was Tyson and Ray's turn. Max took Tyson's place, even if he was still a bit dizzy by the fastness of his female opponent. "Ready? 3... 2... 1... LET IT RIIIPP!"

As soon as Drigger touched the stadium, he started spinning around it, much like Iris had done. Dragoon landed in the middle. The battle was short; when Drigger tried his trademark attack, Tyson used it to pass through it and counter-attack him quickly. A victory well-deserved for a watchful blader.

Iris and Tyson prepared for their combat.

"You're going down!"

She smirked, "You wish..."

The beyblade's met, the attack rings grinding, as sparks flew. They were neck-on-neck, trying to get the upper hand.

"I admit you're good, but I don't admit defeat. Dragoon!" the blue dragon appeared with a mighty roar.

The girl rolled her eyes, "You want to win too damn fast. And that'll only lead you to your own defeat by doing such stupidity. Beyblading is a game of wits, just like chess. You need to know when to attack, when to dodge," Lugiohan easily dodged one of Dragoon's moves while she talked, "What your opponent will do. You need to **be** in the battle, in the heart of it. **Be** one with your bit beast, help him out. Only then, will you know what he needs. You'll help him that way. And you'll be victorious." She grinned, as her blade delivered a harsh clash to Dragoon's side, almost sending him off the stadium, "Patience, perseverance and faith in your bit beast. That's all you'll ever need to know." In a clean move, Dragoon was sent to Tyson's outstretched hand, "Remember that next time."

"Well, it seams that it's Iris and Kai again... Good luck for you both."

"Thanks, Chief. But I doubt I'll need it." Iris's eyes moved to her captain's, "Now, let's make it even, Kai. Last time, it was a tie." In reply, he only smirked.

"3... 2... 1... LET IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!" Tyson and Max shouted at the same time.

Both bladers launched their beyblade's perhaps with a bit more force than necessary. Maybe that was the reason why the stadium cracked a bit when the blades made contact. Both of them landed on the edge of the field, but as soon as they were stable they charged and grinded together. The bits were shinning, asking their masters to let them rise.

But the teens didn't dare to look away from each other's gaze. Neither wanted to give in to a battle of nerves like this one. They didn't want to call their bitbeasts just yet. They continued attacking each other, none of them backing away once. The audience soon figured that this wasn't properly a simple training, as they saw the grace each beyblade showed, the sheer determination in their eyes... The very much alike technique they both used.

"What do you think?" Iris's voice broke the silence.

"Fine by me. Dranzer!"

"Lugiohan!"

The bitbeasts made their spontaneous appearance once again, surrounding each other, screeching and clawing one another, going up in spiral. But then, even if their respective blades kept battling, both phoenixes stopped. And started shinning even more intensely. Both players backed away, protecting their eyes, like the rest of their friends were doing. A beam of light shot upwards from the heart of the battle, up to the sky. As soon as it started, it ended.

The gang quickly approached the stadium (if you call some pieces of metal of irregular size and positions a stadium). The blades were slowing down, smoking, until they stumbled to the side, stopping at the exact same time.

Kai and Iris picked up them up from all the rubble and examined them.

"You destroyed my attack ring..." Kai looked up at her, as a slate brow rose in surprise.

"And you practically melted my weight ring.." they locked eyes.

"Weird. Another tie... I wonder.." Kenny looked at Dizzy, as everyone else looked at him.

…TBC…

* * *

**Thanks to:  
**Yurii Savinov:** thnx 4 the review. I kno it was slightly sudden, I noticed that when I reread the whole thing. But trust me, the further on chaps r much better. Just b a bit patient & u'll see it'll flow easily once the plot is more developed, & the chaps longer **

IcePhoenixLove:** one of my faithful reviewers & readers? Well, welcome back! & thank u very much 4 the complement! And it's normal u haven't read it, the fic was erased from the site. But it's back & it's going 2 stay. **

Tenebrae Rosa:** Hey, hey. Well, I dun consider myself better than u. Our styles r rather different, true, but I consider u my equal. Anyways, glad u like it & yeah, when I reread the chap, I realized a bit of OOC-ness, but still, it's not that bad. Besides, if I changed that, I'd have 2 change the whole fic O.O & I wasn't about 2 do that... Just what I did gave me enough work!**

hiwatarisaori: **thank u! Well, here's the update I promised & I reviewed ur fic as well. Hope u update soon 2 **

**Dark: Plz review. 3rd chap, next Sunday. The chaps will also get longer, so no worries.**


	3. The beginning of a new Era

**Dark: 3rd chap, 10 weeks 2 go. Lack of reviews, people… u'r not very generous lately, huh…**

**Summary/Disclaimer:** check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 2... The beginning of a new Era**

**  
**

"Well, it could be that Dranzer and Lugiohan have both their power so high and similar that their sparring can't be done. As if they repelled each other, making it almost impossible to make contact."

"Well, yes, it's an interesting theory, Dizzy..." Kenny mumbled to himself.

"Or like Drigger and Galux. They are soul-mates; they cannot fight for long..." continued Dizzy. The bit chips clutched in both Iris and Kai's fists shinned indignantly.

"Err are you saying that... they **are** soul-mates?"

Dizzy seemed to be aware of both phoenixes' annoyance as she quickly added, "N-No, I'm talking about Drigger and Galux's case; in both phoenixes', it's their similar strength that keeps them away from each other!" one could almost imagine her sheepish grin.

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But, as we all well (and unfortunately) know, all that's good quickly has an end, and three weeks passed in no time. The team trained daily, made some stretching right after, ate and had some fun. The request of bringing another bed for the newest member of the team was soon forgotten.

Sunday arrived at last. The first beams of sunlight poured through the room's wide window, illuminating the partially relaxed features of a slate-haired, pale young 14 year-old boy. He growled at the intromission and turned his head to his right side, arms encircling the small fragile female body beside his strong one. She flinched slightly.

Kai let out a silent sigh, _'What did they do to you, for you to be so afraid?'  
_  
: Give her some time, young one. She passed through too much to simply turn her back on her past and forget it. She will tell you in due time. : came the wise, deep, soothing voice of Dranzer.

He slowly nodded. His lips were beside her ear, grazing it, as he whispered, "Time to wake up, take a shower and pack things up. We leave today." The boy carefully got out of the bed, as not to disturb the still half-asleep Iris on it.

"Hnnnnn... me goin', I'm goi..." the sentence trailed off, interrupted by a soft yawn, as she stretched on the mattress, while Kai rolled his eyes.

The departure was at 12.50pm from Tokyo's airport, a journey of almost 22 hours, where they would stop at Geneva's airport, in Switzerland. They'll stop for three hours before taking off again. From there, they'll leave to Porto, in a flight of 2.05 hours, which they'll arrive at 16.35pm, local time.

Yup, almost two days of journey... The first flight will be surely boring, with absolutely nothing to do. And knowing Tyson... Yup, a very long day ahead. They needed to hurry, so that everything would be on schedule.

When Kai entered the kitchen, Ray was already there, making pancakes, and almost burning himself, as he rubbed the laziness and sleepiness from his cat-like eyes.

"G'mornin'..." was muttered through a yawn. The mahogany-eyed teen only nodded at him, an eyebrow rising.

Around 9.00am, Iris came down the stairs, wide-awake now, and sat at her usual place beside the captain, wearing a silver sleeveless top, and light wide bell-bottom jeans. A few minutes after that, they heard a THUMP.

"And what exactly was **that**?" Iris looked up, as if expecting the ceiling to fall.

"Let's check it out..." Ray got up and climbed up the stairs, the other two following him. Kai opened the door to the first bedroom at their left, which happened to be Tyson's. They entered.

Tyson was beside the bed, sleeping on his knees, face on the ground, Max looking over the edge of the bed, looking at the former, very disappointed. A bit behind was Kenny, holding Dizzy like always, almost bursting with laughter at Max's expression.

"What happened?" Ray chuckled.

"We wanna wake up Tyson, but as you can see, he keeps sleeping..." Kenny snickered.

"Well, duh, that just means you guys should use another method." Iris grinned evilly, her sharp canines exposed, as she moved over and crouched beside Tyson, whispering in his ear, "Hilary's downstairs waiting for you, in a see-through lace swimming suit. What are you waiting for?"

Tyson opened his eyes immediately and ran downstairs, almost knocking Ray and Kai off their feet. They all snickered, except Iris, who smirked in victory and Kai who put his hand over his eyes and shook his head.

"HEY! HILARY'S NOT HERE!" Tyson suddenly shouted. That only made the gang laugh harder.

A few minutes later, they were ready and entering the BBA bus to take them to the airport, on time as always. A small trip, 30 minutes to get them there. Tyson was still angry at Iris's joke, so he was quiet for once, grumbling here and there, sitting beside Kenny, who was typing away on Dizzy, in the front seat of the bus. Ray was laughing at Max's jokes and Kai and Iris were talking quietly at the end of the bus, hided by the seat in front of them.

"So your bit beast wasn't yours in the first place." Kai put one arm around her shoulders, caressing the soft, smooth skin absently.

"She was my sister's. But when she died, I took her beyblade, therefore Lugiohan. At first, I couldn't really control her, but in time, I managed that." Goose-bumps formed over the skin he was touching, as she shivered lightly, but did not pull away.

No one had said they were in a relationship. Not even themselves. Although, they couldn't deny the mutual understanding of the situation. None of them had said anything at all about it, but none had pushed the other away. But the tone she used right after, even if whispered, suggested that she wanted to.

"Kai.." His hand snaked under her arm to her side and, ever so softly, to brush her breast, as her breath tickled the skin on his neck, "Have you ever been in love?"

She didn't pull away from his touch, but her body tensed visibly as she looked in his deep mahogany eyes. However, hers weren't afraid.

"Maybe. What do you call this?"

"A state of sheer confusion, in some ways."

He chuckled softly, just before her lips covered his own. He allowed his other arm to reach up and gently cup softly her breast. Her kiss slowed down, as she didn't respond at first, but as he stopped moving his hand, she continued.

Her soft moan into the kiss was the only hint he had that his touch wasn't unwelcome or hurtful. But by her body language, it wasn't quite welcome either, it was just slightly pleasant. Her muscles were still quite tense.

Ever so slowly, her hands went up to grasp his broad shoulders, taking in the strong muscles underneath her fingers. He parted the kiss, his lips leaving a trail of fire in his way, as he kissed down her neck. Her head tilted back, eyes closing for some moments.

_'Every time a man touched me, it was to hurt me, but you, Kai... You erase all those memories and make my mind focus only on the feeling you're giving me... I was an un-wanting whore, but now that doesn't matter.. All because of you... Why?'_ At that thought, her nails dug into his shoulders.

He let his hands fall to her sides, as he pulled away. At the lack of his warmth, she frowned lightly, as she leaned against his left shoulder, eyelashes drifting close, near his neck. She took a deep sigh and snuggled into his warm body. A proof of her trust in him.

_'Thanks Dranzer, you were right.'_

: It's okay, little one. :

They finally arrived, and all of them got out of the bus with their belongings, walking towards the line of passengers of their flight.

But soon after, a hostess stepped into their way, "Are you the BladeBreakers?"

"Yes, we are."

The young woman nodded, "We were expecting you. Follow me, if you please." She took them to the check-in beside, and took their luggage. "You can go in right away. You have another flight waiting. We are sorry we didn't warn you before. It leaves in twenty minutes. It's from Iberia, its code 8717. Your gate is the 56."

They gave their passports and tickets to the police and passed to the other part of the airport. They were now in the waiting room ready to aboard the plane.

"Do you know which teams we're against, Chief?" Ray yawned softly.

"Well, the Demolition Boys are no where to be found, after all that happened. The All Starz are in a campaign to help orphans though. But I think the White Tigers are coming. They too have a new member. I don't know about the Majestic's though."

"Cool!" Max punched the air.

"The passengers of the flight 8717 Iberia, to Porto, with transhipment in Geneva, please make your way to gate 56." the programmed voice of the airport suddenly announced.

"That's us. Let's go!" They got up.

While they were boarding, the hostess greeted them, "Buenos dias!", which no one understood, except Iris, who just responded, "Bom dia.. Maybe for you."

"Is that your language?" Tyson looked at her curiously.

"Nah, that's Spanish. I speak Portuguese, she speaks Spanish." She snorted lightly. "Spain... They think they're so good... Hmph!"

They weren't very lucky with the seats; they only stayed together in pairs, Kai with Ray, Tyson with Iris and Kenny ended up with Max. The two older boys were on the front, the 'couple' four seats behind them. Kenny and Max were beside the wing.

"So what's going on between you and her?" The Chinese boy turned to his captain, smirking.

"And what do you mean with that." Kai replied calmly, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"It's not obvious, but I do have eyes that actually work. So, spit it out."

"Stop sticking your nose in other people's business..." the other boy rolled his eyes, but those words gave him away, even if his face was a total mask of indifference.

"Come on, the looks at breakfast, through the trainings?" Ray's smirk widened slightly.

Kai's eyes finally turned to him, a frown in place, "You noticed that?"

"It wasn't easy, just one or two of them. But it was enough. I doubt anyone else noticed." Kai was slightly taller than Ray, but more muscular and clearly stronger. That was a plain weakness for the latter, a reason why he couldn't annoy the other all that much, "So?"

His only reply was a flash of annoyance through mahogany hues, and the turning of his head.

"I don't kiss and tell, so no need to worry." Ray added to no one in particular. But Kai knew he wouldn't tell; one thing he liked on the other boy, he was true to his word.

"Umm could you please try not to hit me?" Tyson backed away as much as he could in his seat. Iris was at the window, playing a game on Max's portable console. As a big, fluffy looking cloud appeared, Tyson pushed her arm unintentionally, making her lose the game. Now her eyes were a bit red around the pupil and he was way scared.

"I won't, but I wish I could. Just because we're on a plane. If you push me ONE more time, you'll regret it for the rest of your life, mark my words." She whispered menacingly. "Oh yeah, I'll be responsible for your training. I still didn't talk to Kai, but either way, I will."

"What!"

"Yes, And do you know what that means? NO pissing me off, or else, **you**'ll be the one who will pay."

He gulped, grinning nervously, "Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight... Err, sure! How about using the you-don't-annoy-me-and-I-won't-annoy-you-rule?"

"That should be the first intelligent thing you've ever said in your life, T."

"Why, thank you, Iris, I- HEY!" he quickly pouted at that, as she snickered softly.

"Max, would you please keep your mouth shut?" Kenny pleaded, with his hands on his ears. The poor genius was tired of listening to the blonde's talking and lame jokes. He couldn't concentrate on writing Iris's profile on Dizzy to present to the tournament. Unfortunately, Max didn't even hear him and kept blabbing about some clown that did god knows what.

"Hey, Max!" The black haired girl turned to him, "Do you know that one about the tailor and the dancer?"

"Err, no, I don't." he tilted his head to the side, curious.

"I don't either."

As the others sweat-dropped at the lameness, the blond cracked up laughing, "THAT'S SO FUNNY!"

Iris shook her head at him; "If you say so."

"Do you really find that funny?" Tyson quirked an eyebrow at her.

"No, but if it keeps him shut through the rest of the voyage, that's good enough for me."

"Got that right."

Almost twenty two hours of basically sleeping, small talking and eating, they finally arrived to Geneva, in Switzerland.

"FINALLY!" Tyson shouted to everyone who had ears, as he looked around the big airport. For that, he received a kick on the shin, courtesy of the feminine part of the gang. "OWW!"

"This is almost as cold as Russia." Max commented, while pulling his coat from his pack, shrugging into it quickly.

"Russia is quite colder, believe me." Iris walked a bit faster at that. Kai noticed the way she tensed at the mention of Russia.

: Kai.. I feel... a strange power.. A dark power... extremely powerful. :

_'Is it Black Dranzer?'  
_  
: I cannot tell. But it's more powerful. Worse too... I do not know where it comes from, but its presence is very strong, since we entered in Europe. :

Kai could only nod in understanding. _'More powerful, huh? Great, just what we needed, more trouble.'  
_  
Iris glanced back at him in that same moment, a grimace in her face.

"Did Lugiohan told you?" he walked beside her, whispering quietly, not wanting to worry the others.

She nodded, "What do you think it is?" she used the same tone of voice.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. But I can imagine." He looked up to the sky, his memories filling his mind. _'It cannot be anything else, I'm afraid...'_

The teens made their way to the airport, walked quite a bit, ate and sat in front of the gate that would lead them to their other plane. The luggage was picked in Portugal.

They boarded the plane quickly after almost three hours of waiting. The plane on its left side had seats for three passengers and on the right side, for two. This time they were side by side, Ray, Iris and Kai and in the other side, sat Max and Tyson, respectively. Chief had chosen the seat immediately behind Tyson, working away with Dizzy.

"Okay, we need to discuss who will go with whom, in the pair's combats." Kenny adjusted his glasses, "The preliminaries though are singular and best of five, three rounds, and we need to decide who goes first in those too."

"Well," Ray started, "I think Iris should go first. You know, to intimidate..."

"Yeah, then me!" Tyson shouted, making half of the flight look in their direction.

"Yeah, and Kai in last, maybe?" Iris said thoughtfully, her thumb brushing her chin.

"We start with that combination and then we'll change it, as Max and Ray to compete too, hai? What do you think, Kai?" asked Chief.

"Whatever." Came the careless reply.

"And for the pairs? In the second part of the competition, the combats are two singulars and two duos. Although, the players can combat more than once." Kenny continued.

"That's pretty obvious. Ray and Max go to the single ones to make up for the preliminaries. Then Max and Tyson could go. Max's defence can help the lack of it in Tyson's part." Kai scowled at the naïve shorter boy who grinned sheepishly, "And Iris's way of thinking in battle is similar to mine, so I think that's settled."

"Okay, if you say so..." Kenny looked at the others, "Do you all agree?"

"Yeah!"

"So, this is Portugal, eh?" Tyson looked around the small airport, after they got out of the plane. "Doesn't seem like it's too much of anything..."

Iris smacked his nape, frowning lightly, "Shut it! I'll let you know that we may not be a big country, but the people are quite nice! I'm gonna retrieve my other luggage; could you carry my other sack, Kai?"

"Hai."

They waited for their luggage to get there. After 15 minutes, Iris arrived with a suitcase trailing behind her, but still no belongings.

"Where's the baggage?" she asked.

"It didn't arrive yet, you dope!" Tyson snapped at her. All he wanted at the moment was to lay down on a fluffy bed and sleep, and he didn't notice with whom he just talked to.

That comment sent Iris, who was equally tired, over the edge too. Her eyes flared red briefly, as she prepared to punch him. She would've succeeded, if it wasn't for the strong hand catching her slender wrist at the last minute.

"Here isn't such a good idea. Calm down." Kai swiftly whispered at her ear, as she struggled to free herself. With a last push, she glared at the boy behind her, but didn't do anything, opting to sulk instead.

Finally, their luggage arrived and they trailed behind their leader to the small bus. As the hotel wasn't in a very accessible street, the driver handed them a map.

They got out of the bus and into the main street. They all recognized the similar style of the houses and streets of when they travelled through Europe and in Russia. Although, it had a more welcoming touch to it than the former.

_'Must be because I'm here on my free will, and not training to be a ruthless beyblader or anything...'_ Kai frowned at the irony, as his eyes glanced at the girl walking in front of him. She had a smile plastered to her face, her eyes glazed over by her memories.

As if she could hear his thoughts, she stopped and looked at him, her smile not wavering, "This is still a bit far from my house but I know this place soo well! It's so familiar... I used to play here with my sister, when my parents came to lunch in my uncle's restaurant. This is called the Ribeira, in your language, Riverside. There are a lot of small stores with regional specialities a bit more to the west. Believe me, Tyson will love the food here."

"Sincerely, I don't think there's **something** the kid doesn't like to eat." Kai rolled his eyes ("HEY! I heard that, Kai!"), "So, which way?"

"That way, come on." They kept going up through a very old-looking street.

"Umm, are you sure this thing is safe, Iris?"

"Tyson, your mother wasn't even born yet and this street already existed just the way it is now."

"Soooooo... Is it safe?"

An annoyed sigh sounded, as she looked through the map, "Yes, Tyson, it is."

"Good!"

Silence.

"Iris?"

"Will you shut up? I'm **not** a tour guide!"

"It's not that, it's just-"

"**Shut it, you good for nothing-**OUCH!" she rubbed her sore forehead, as she looked up.

"-the post." Tyson snickered at her quietly, as she glared daggers at him.

After arriving to the hotel, they could only look and sweat-drop as Iris quickly spoke with the man behind the counter. Seemingly, they only understood one word; "Não" they were sure it meant "No" if the look in her face was any indication.

She finally turned to them, making a face, "Meh, I asked for private rooms, but Mr. Dickenson clearly said that we should stay in only one room. I couldn't do anything to change that."

They arrived to said room. It was quite big, with six beds, three in each room, a balcony and an enormous bathroom. Tyson, Kenny and Max were in one bedroom, and Kai, Ray and Iris were in the other. This was where they were going to stay until the end of the tournament. It was going to start within a week and from then on, things were going to get interesting.

Of course that the couple couldn't lay down together, with Ray in there, even if he already knew. That was why Iris suddenly woke up, not used to sleep without a warm body beside her. After waking up three times in a row, she gave up, got up and went to the bathroom. She drank a glass of water and while passing the beds to the balcony, she stopped, moving her body closer and leaned in a bit to see Kai's soft features bathed by moonlight.

His lighter hair framed his forehead, giving way to normally furrowed eyebrows, now relaxed, eyelids closed softly, hiding those deep reddish beautiful eyes of his, long dark lashes brushing his pale cheeks, now without the light blue triangles, an aristocratic nose, and soft full red lips.

"You're too beautiful for your own good..." she found herself whispering quietly, "But I can't do what you want me to do... and I'm sorry for that..." Her hand made its way to his bare chest, tracing his strong, well-defined upper chest, going up passing his neck, and traced those bow-shaped lips, resting her hand over his cheek. Ever so slightly, she felt him lean into her touch.

Kai woke up to a feathery touch on his chest. He didn't move; Dranzer would've warned him if it was some stranger. So he kept still. And he heard her, the softest whisper, "You're too beautiful for your own good, but I can't do what you want me to do... and I'm sorry for that..." Her hand came up to his neck, resting it lightly on his cheek. Even if it was quite warm, he still leaned into her touch.

She straightened back up and stopped at the balcony, her eyes lowering, "And I'm not that sure if I'll ever be ready for it..." she finished half-heartedly.

"Don't say that..." his whisper visibly made her jump.

"Don't you **do** that!" her glare and hand over her chest, trying to calm her heart, was enough to put him chuckling lightly, as he got up.

"What are you doing up anyway?" he avoided asking her about what she just said. It would be a delicate issue, and having her pissed off at him right on the first day wasn't a very good idea.

"Couldn't sleep, that's all..." she shrugged, walking towards the balcony once more.

"Is that so?" Kai opened the balcony's glass doors for her, stepping aside, letting her pass first.

"I'm used to sleep next to you. Now it feels a bit odd not to." a faint blush showed upon tanned cheeks, as Kai leaned over the railings. A comfortable silence ensued.

"Are you happy to be back?"

"To my country, you mean? Course I am. It's no paradise or anything, but is home. That's enough for me."

He nodded as she walked forward, leaning against the wall, looking up at the starry sky. After a while, she went back inside, but Kai didn't. He was still thinking on her words, lost in thought.

««Flashback»»  
_"You're too beautiful for your own good, but I can't do what you want me to do... and I'm sorry for that..."  
_««End Flashback»»_  
_  
_'Almost each day, I learn a new thing about you, Iris, but you don't seem to say it willingly... Where do you come from? What did you pass through?'  
_  
Finally giving up, he walked back inside, glancing at the clock on his way. _6.20am... 'Soon, we'll get up. I'll take the chance and have a shower first. I won't sleep any more, either way.'_

At 6.45am, Kai was ready for training. He moved to Iris's bedside, running his hand through her hair as her eyes snapped open, confused and unfocused for a moment, but as they took in his frame she relaxed, her lips curving into a lazy smile. "Hey..."

"Slept well?"

"A bit better, yeah. Thanks."

"Go take a shower before I wake up Tyson. We have a long day ahead of us."

"Got that right. Although I feel kinda sorry for Tyson..." she smirked conspiratorially at him, "Would you mind if I took over his training? A couple of good lessons will only do him some good."

"No, go ahead. Good luck though; he's lazier than a snail when it comes to training."

She got up, stifled a yawn and searched through her clothes, "Nah, he'll do what I tell him to do. I can be quite persuasive, if I so want to."

A slate eyebrow rose, "If you say so." He turned to wake up Ray as Iris locked herself in the bathroom. After waking up the Chinese boy, the team captain entered the other bedroom, where Kenny was trying to put his shorts backwards, and yawning loudly.

He shook his head at the sight, crossing the room to Max's bed. Then he moved to confront the biggest challenge: waking up Tyson.

Which wasn't all that difficult, "Tyson, get that lazy fat arse out of bed, or you won't get any breakfast. Not to mention that you'll have to deal with me..." the older boy leaned against the door frame, looking at the still snoring World Champion.

A few seconds later, Tyson was up, clothes in hand, scrambling out of the room and knocking on the bathroom door loudly, "LET ME IN! I DON'T WANNA LOSE BREAKFAST! AND KAI'S GONNA **KILL** ME!"

"Sod **off**, you idiot! Now you'll wait! Besides, Kai won't kill you, **I** will, if you don't hurry up with breakfast. You're training with the 'je' here, so you better do as I say." The female resident inside seemed to be smirking widely.

"Come again!"

"Tyson, do me a favour, don't try to understand, just **do **what I say! Go eat breakfast while you can!"

"Err, ok!" the navy-blue haired boy grinned, walking out of the room, snickering at Kai, "Perhaps it's better if she trains me, ya know, she seems nicer!"

Soon, the rest of the team was descending the stairs, entering the canteen to have breakfast and then train some more.

…TBC…

* * *

**Thanks to:  
  
**Tenebrae Rosa:** Oye again. Bleh, see if u dun become a crazy football supporter, huh? & u think Kai's 2 OOC? I think it was worse in the 1st chap really. Oh well. Doesn't matter anyway. In the remaining chaps, all comes 2 place anyway, ne xD **

hiwatarisaori: **the fic is complete & I'm true 2 my word, so yeah, I posted. Thank u very much 4 liking it, I really appreciate reviews like urs :) glad I was the responsible 4 the dream & ideas & u'r very welcome. Hope u liked this update **

Yurii Savinov: **thank u very much. Hope u liked this one as well**

IcePhoenixLove:** glad 2 keep my readers happy. Here's the update & thnx 4 reviewing**

dark Alley:** thnx a lot 4 liking the darn piece of crap. As 4 the Complete thing, it IS complete… in my computer. Just 2 let the readers kno this fic isn't going 2 end up unfinished, u kno. Not in the sense that is all posted, but that is all written down. Thnx a lot 4 noticing the small detail 2; u'r sharp**

**Dark: review plz & come back next Sunday. As promised, this chapter had 3 more pages, which is fairly good, I think**


	4. First Duel

**Dark: 4th chap here & 9 weeks 2 go already. Again, lack of reviews. B sympathetic 4 once in ur life, will u? Meh.**

Summary/Disclaimer: check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

****

Chapter 3... First Duel

"C'mon, guys, time to train!" the girl motioned them to follow her, "We could run a bit till the City Park. It's not far from here." The BladeBreakers were just outside the hotel, after having eaten a good breakfast.

"Fine by me."

"I have to stay here to finish updating some files with Dizzy. Sorry guys." Kenny adjusted his glasses, grinning nervously, "Good luck for practise though!" He entered the hotel again, sighing for having escaped a running session.

"Ooooooooookay!" Max replied happily. He was a bit sugar-high, from all the pastries he ate at breakfast.

"Nooo, we just ate! That isn't healthy!" Tyson tried to find a reason for not having to run, but to no avail.

"Then it will be your entire fault if you get sick, because you ate too much. Now move!"

They began jogging along the side of the river that passed along the city, Iris on the lead, once in a while showing them a few things that passed by. It was quite nice, as the sun was slowly rising; the temperature wasn't too hot or too cold. And as they breathed, they could smell the slight salty-tasting air, which meant they were close to the mouth of the river.

"Heeeeeeeey, Iris, is that your country's flag or something?"

"Which one?"

"The red, green and yellow one. The others I've seen before, but that one I didn't."

"Yeah, it's that one. The red represents all the Portuguese blood that was spilled for us to have the country we now have; that's the reason why it's larger than the green. The green part represents all our hope. The yellow circle is the planet; if you look closely, it's in the form of a globe and its meridians. The shield in its middle has five little castles: the national coat of arms of Portugal."

"Oh, right. And the white and blue one?"

"Huh? What white and blue- Oh, that one? It's from the football team of the city. The dragon in the middle is their mascot." Iris came to a stop finally, "We're here."

The rest of the teens looked around the place. Trees all around, sandy paths to walk without stepping on the poor grass, kids running happily after their parents... Peaceful and quiet enough.

"Actually, **here** isn't a good place, but in a more concealed part of the park; we won't put our strategies at risk for the other teams to know it. Not to mention that your fans won't be screaming for you, huh?" she chuckled as the boys visibly paled.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"To the left, to the left! **LEFT** you idiot! Urrgh, stop!"

"What now!" Tyson, for once, was looking quite angry at his supposed 'trainer'. Tired of having orders shouted at him and hearing he wasn't doing anything right, the boy was **annoyed**, "What did I do? I turned left like you wanted!"

"I wasn't referring to your direction, I meant your attack!"

"Why the heck would I want to attack to my left, if Lugiohan was right in front of me?"

"Man, you're **stupid**, right? Didn't you learn to anticipate your opponent's moves? I thought it was quite obvious that I'd turn to my right, which is your **left**. Duh, if you keep attacking me like that, I'll easily dodge you."

As Tyson frowned at her and picked up Dragoon once more, the others were watching, amused. It wasn't everyday that someone put the World Champion training quite like that. And certainly **not** for TWO hours non-stop. They had taken a break for some minutes, as Kenny arrived. He had brought food and drinks for everyone and was now doing an update to their profiles.

Lugiohan returned to her mistress's out stretched hand, who was drinking from a bottle of water. Muttering a few things in her language and glaring at Tyson, the others quirked an eyebrow. What she said wasn't nice for the looks that a couple walking nearby sent her. "Anyway, let me see your launch."

"My.. Launch?"

"Yes, launch the cruddy beyblade! Let me see the way you do it!"

"Oh, that." The navy haired boy stepped into position, launching the top and looking up at her.

Iris sighed, a hand over her eyes, "I should've known... You call that a launch?"

"What about it?" he crossed his arms over his chest defensively, "It was quite good, by the way!"

Ray and Max snickered quietly. "In that stance and with those replies, Tyson seems just like Kai.."

"Yup, I was thinking the same. It's almost scary..."

The girl went behind him, crouching down, "Don't move." She placed a hand over the back of his knee, pressing, making him bend it a bit more.

"Hey, that way I'll-"

"Save it, just remember this pose. I know what I'm doing." She did the same to the other knee. "Now, never bend your elbow like that, try to stretch your arm. You'll make a longer launch that way, without putting poor Kenny over there not sleeping to get you a better launcher for that same purpose."

"Hmm..." Tyson quirked an eyebrow at her, but did as he was told, "Like so?"

"That's good enough, yes. But don't force your arm if it hurts; I don't want you with a lesion or anything. I've got my own to care about as it is."

"Ah, I'm too important for you to lose, eh?"

"Nah, but we do need five active members. We'll be disqualified if we don't."

He sweat-dropped, "Sheesh, thanks for the confidence."

"Anytime, T. Now come on, I don't have all day."

"Hang on, you said you had your own lesion to- You're injured!" Chief looked at her, a worried look upon his features.

The Lusitanian bit her lip, "It's nothing, really. Just a stupid thing that happened a couple of months ago. The first three weeks were the worse, but now I'm okay."

"What happened?"

Unintentionally, she glared at the blond for that, "It's none of your business. It was something that wasn't in my plans and shouldn't have happened. Because of that, my right shoulder was busted. No big deal." Almost everyone flinched at the coldness of her voice, "Tyson, will you launch that already?"

Said boy nodded and pulled the rip cord. Accordingly to what Iris had said, Dragoon spun slightly quicker, and the launch was longer.

"Again." The beyblade was launched again.

"Again." Once more.

The black haired girl grinned, "Oh yeah, you're soooo going to thank me for this..."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

The last day of training was finally over for a very exhausted team as they dragged their feet up to their bedroom, where they asked for room service, too tired to even go to the canteen. Not even half an hour after having dinner, they were asleep, except for Chief, who managed to update their beyblade's before he too went to bed.

In the middle of the night, too early to get up but too late to have a good night's sleep, Iris sat up right on her bed, gasping for air, her eyes haunted, scared, unfocused, staring listlessly to the wall in front of her.

_It's easier to run...  
Replacing this pain with something numb,  
It's so much easier to go..  
Than face all this pain here all alone!  
_  
««Flashback»»  
"You are mine, do you hear? Mine.." his mocking voice whispered to her ear in the silence of the early dawn.

"Never!" she hissed between small gasps of air, trying to catch her breath after the abuse she just suffered. The five lettered word repeated over and over again in her head, long after he exited her small room. Hurt, humiliated, alone and cold, silent tears ran down her cheeks as her arms wrapped around her knees.  
««End Flashback»»

_Something has been taken  
From deep inside of me,  
A secret I've kept locked away  
No one can ever see.. _

_Wounds so deep they never show,  
They never go away...  
Like moving pictures in my head,  
For years and years they've played._

Silver scared eyes closed at the memory. As she slowly calmed down and caught her breath, she glanced at both Kai and Ray, each on either side of her, unaware of her sudden terror. She pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them tight, feeling the cold sweat cooling down her heated skin. One hand reached up, clutching her necklace, the chip of her blade shinning in a comforting way.

: It was only a nightmare, Mistress. They will not hurt you. Do not be afraid. Go back to sleep, little one; it was only a memory. : concern and calm that were not her own washed over her mind at hearing the voice of her bit beast.

_If I could change I would,  
Take back the pain I would,  
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would, _

_If I could...  
Stand up and take the blame I would,  
If I could take all the shame to the grave I would_

_'They are starting to appear more frequently now, Lugiohan... I do try to relax around them, but it's not my fault, is it?'  
_  
: Of course not. :

_It's easier to run...  
Replacing this pain with something numb,  
It's so much easier to go..  
Than face all this pain here all alone!  
_  
Only a nightmare, huh? She was dreaming of one of the first nights she passed at the Abbey, the way Boris came to her bedroom, tossing her beyblade aside as she was trying to fix it after it was almost demolished by one of the older and more experienced bladers. He had stripped off hers and his clothes, put her on her hands and knees and raped her as he kept telling her that it was her fault, all her fault why Lugiohan was almost destroyed. All her fault that she was raped. And that she was his. **His**. Because she deserved that. She deserved being a whore.

_Sometimes I remember  
The darkness of my past.  
Bringing back these memories  
I wish I didn't have... _

_Sometimes I think of letting go,  
And never looking back..  
And never moving forwards, so  
There would never be a past!_

: Lies. Those were all lies, youngling. You know that now. Nothing is going to happen... You are safe now. : A deep voice sounded in her head, one she did not know. : I am Lord Dranzer, Iris Blanchett. Concentrate on your sleep and not on your past. You will be alright. :

"You should be asleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. You need a good rest."

_If I could change I would,  
Take back the pain I would,  
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would, _

_If I could...  
Stand up and take the blame I would,  
If I could take all the shame to the grave I would_

Her eyes snapped to her right, locking with reddish brown ones, which did not show her anything at all, no emotion, none of his past. She wished she could do that all the time. Not always was she able to do so. "I-I know." Especially now. She turned away from him, afraid he'd be able to see what happened. She was fragile, she knew. Her past was her weakness. Like a piece of glass, everyone could easily break her.

"You ok?" But he didn't want to break her.

_Just washing it aside..  
All of the helplessness inside!  
Pretending I don't feel misplaced!  
Is so much simpler than change...  
_  
"Just shaken. Had a bad dream.." she threw the pillow to the floor, glaring at it, just wishing it was Boris. With the sheet, she wiped the sweat off her skin.

"A nightmare, you mean. You sure you're alright?"

_It's easier to run...  
Replacing this pain with something numb,  
It's so much easier to go..  
Than face all this pain here all alone!  
_  
"Yeah, yeah... fine. Just fine..." those mystic eyes of hers drifted close, as she pulled the covers up to her chin, turning her back to him. She did not want to speak with anyone at the moment. Not after what she just revived.

The tousling of covers met her ears. _'He must've fallen asleep once more. Good. No need for him to know about this.'_ Through the rest of the night, she didn't slept much more, but she didn't have any nightmares.

_It's easier to run...  
If I could change I would,  
Take back the pain I would,  
Retrace every wrong move that I made.  
It's easier to go... _

_If I could change I would,  
Take back the pain I would,  
Retrace every wrong move that I made I would,_

_If I could...  
Stand up and take the blame I would,  
I would take all my shame to the grave._

Little did she know she was wrong, for once. Not because he didn't try, but Kai couldn't fall asleep. What could have made her eyes look so scared?

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

At 6.30am the phone rang, as the receptionist woke them with two rings at their order. Ray was the first to use the bathroom this time, reaching there first.

Iris managed to wake up Tyson by knocking him off his bed with the couch's slightly heavy pillow and with a piece of toast underneath his nose she got from the room-service meal.

"So, we're the guests of honour, huh? Who are we against?" Ray asked as Kenny told them the news of the e-mail he just received from Mr. Dickenson.

"They're called the Magicians. This team has bit beasts. But no big deal, I guess. You guys trained enough, by my calculations."

Tyson snorted lightly between bites, "Oh yeah, with a name like that, they really must be strong..."

"Never underestimate your opponent." Kai rolled his eyes, glaring at the younger boy, "That's a serious mistake you unfortunately do a lot." Most of them were ready to go, but their female member was still on the bathroom.

"Urrgh, I always say, a woman in a bathroom is **bad**!"

"I heard that, Tyson!" said woman stepped out of the bathroom. Black pants hugged her long legs; an unfastened zipper glinted since right below her knee, till the edge of the pants, which were boot cut. A black belt supported quite a few silver chains dangling here and there, adorning her shapely hips.

She was wearing her black and white boots, where they could be seen through the unzipped part of her trousers, black fingerless gloves adorning her slender arms. A silver sleeveless crop top clung to her chest, ending a few inches below her breasts, showing a bit of her cleavage at the top, as it wrapped around her neck, her six packs and navel. Two silver sticks put her still wet hair into a messy but gracious bun at the crown of her head. Menacing, four triangles were on her cheeks, the two upper ones black, the lower and smaller ones red, in the same place where Kai's were. Oh yes, she looked dangerous. "Like the new look, guys?"

"Wow!" Tyson whistled softly, "You look great! Real dangerous, eh?"

"I guess." a playful smirk was on her shinning lips. Obviously swept over by clear lip-gloss.

"You beybattle like that?" Ray grinned at her, "Wicked!"

"I totally agree!" Max toddled the chains over his fingers, a smile on his face.

"You rock, girl!" Tyson's part.

Iris's cheeks were turning a bit pink, "Okay, okay, I get it! Now, let's go before we arrive late." Her eyes locked with Kai's for a moment. He nodded in approval, smirking a bit. She smirked back as she exited the room.

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The bus Mr. Dickenson had for them was already there, as usual. A short trip, 15 minutes, and they arrived to a big dome-like monument, people everywhere in sight.

They soon were on their designed room. "Okay..." Chief took off his glasses, sweeping his blue eyes over his friends; Tyson, Max and Ray on top of the table, he himself on a chair near said table, his team captain in his usual stance, arms folded, one ankle over the other, eyes closed, and leaning against a wall. Iris was beside him, hands behind her back, her gaze unfocused, giving a sign of no-disturbance by her furrowed eyebrows and eyes changing between light blue and blood red, "This is our first combat, we gotta make a good impression about us, do not forget we are world champions and we ought to defend that title." the young genius put his glasses back on, "I made some changes on your beyblade's, as you know. I modified every weight disks, after Max's mom sent me a new kind of material, lighter but more resistant. The ones I changed the attack rings a bit are Kai's and Tyson's. Nothing new, though." Kenny gave them all back their blades; Dranzer and Dragoon looked the same, but both bladers noticed the slight change in the style of the ring, the tips sharper, giving them better balance and speed.

The entertaining music finally stopped and they heard DJ Jazzman starting to speak, "AAAAAAAANND WELCOME TO THIS TOURNAMENT IN THIS BEAUUUUUTIIFUL COUNTRY! THE FIRST COMBAT IS GOING TO START SOON!"

"That's our cue! C'mon guys!" Tyson beckoned them with his arm, his face with the usual thrill to battle, always with that confident smile dancing on his lips. The team soon followed his lead towards the end of the hall, the brightness and cheers starting to grow in volume.

As soon as Tyson, who was the first, stepped into the field of vision of the fans, they went mad, starting to cheer even louder.

DJ Jazzman was trying to speak over all the noise, "AND OUR JAPANESE WORLD CHAMP, TYSON GRANGER, ALWAYS THE HAPPY-GO-LUCKY! NEXT WE HAVE THE MOST CHEERFUL AMERICAN YOU'LL EVER SEE, MAX TATE! RIGHT BEHIND HIM, THERE'S OUR FAVOURITE CHINESE TEEN, RAYMOND KON! THE GENIUS OF THE TEAM, KENNY, ALSO KNOWN AS CHIEF! AND TO FINISH THE BLADEBREAKERS WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE, THERE'S THE COLD AND STOIC RUSSIAN TEAM CAPTAIN, KAI HIWATARI!" over Kai and Ray, the girls went even crazier, "BUUUUUTT, BOYS OUT THERE, NEVER FEAR, 'CAUSE BEAUTY IS HERE! I PRESENT YOU ALL, THE NEW TEAM MEMBER OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONS, THEIR ONLY LADY... IRIS C. BLANCHETT, HALF-PORTUGUESE, HALF-FRENCH!"

Kai was trying to keep his anger at bay by the comments he picked up from the male part of the audience.

"Wow, girl, you're beautiful!"

"Tsk, tsk, what the hell are you doing there? Come in a date with me!" a loud whistle at that.

"Those clothes look nice on you, but I'd rather see you without them!"

: Kai, relax... No need to make a fool out of yourself; you have a reputation to keep. : Dranzer was trying to calm him, but still it was almost too much. If Iris answered one of them, he'd kill the guy for sure, not because of the things the poor kid said, but because he felt he should protect her. And if he was honest with himself, he'd admitted he had never felt such possessiveness towards anything else but Dranzer.

Iris herself was walking steadily with an emotionless expression upon her features, but her insides were itching to kill those guys, _'Why don't they just shut the fuck up and keep the cruddy comments to themselves? If I catch them outside, they won't live through the experience to warn the others **not** to do that!'_

: Yes, Mistress. And make sure Kai doesn't tackle any of the males doing that either... He seems ready to murder somebody as well. : In her mind, Iris felt the amusement in the phoenix's soothing voice.

: You do not know his character... He is biting his tongue, hard. : Dranzer's presence joined her bit beast's, with a hint of a chuckle.

Finally the BladeBreakers arrived to their bench. Right in front of them, there was their opponents, the Magicians. There were five of them, three girls and two boys. All of them seemed brothers and sisters; they all had black spiked hair and indigo blue eyes. The tallest of them all, one of the boys, had a sulky expression and seemed bored out of his mind, leaning against the post of the bench, much like how Kai was doing at the moment; he also seemed the captain. The other one was very cheerful and was smiling from ear-to-ear and waving to the audience, pacing around. The three girls were all sited at the bench, one looking very shy, and the other two very determinate, looking at them.

The enormous screen was showing what-blader-was-against-who and their respective bit-beasts, except Lugiohan, which no one knew how she looked like yet.

"The first two rounds of battles of the competition will be five combats with three rounds each and all singles! And now onto the profiles of the BladeBreakers!" AJ commented, "Now, the first to battle is their new member, Iris! We dunno much about this exotic lady, except she never EVER lost once, but we do know that she has one beautiful phoenix to count on as her partner! By what I was told, she's merciless on the battle field! Hmm, that makes me remember the second to combat, right Brad? The captain, Kai!"

"Yeah, it sure does, AJ." Brad kept going, "The young Hiwatari is one cold-hearted blader, but a complete hottie, as I hear some girls shout out there, but deep inside, I'm sure he has a soft side, as we saw on the World Championship, when he lost his mate, Dranzer! Dranzer is a magnificent fire phoenix, who obeys to no one but Kai. He's very strong and this spectacular duet always ends the game quickly. Watch out for him 'cause he's the bad and silent boy type, but very vicious!"

"Next we have Tyson! I really dunno why I am going to explain his style, as you already know, but I will anyway... Tyson gives you a completely different concept of free-style beyblading and being happy-go-lucky, he's imperceptible; you never know what he's going to do in his next attack. He counts with the help of a blue dragon, named Dragoon that, as he gladly likes to tell anyone who is able to hear him, is in his family for generations."

"And then, we have the Chinese boy, Ray! He's quite the cutie, as some girls like to say, and he has Drigger, the white tiger; but be careful, he's no kitty! His attack, Tiger Claw, can really cut you in half, and his style is more on the defensive but to the predatory style too. Very nice to talk to, but in the battle field he's a wild opponent!"

"And last but definitely not least, we have Maxie! He's the innocent one, but don't judge a book by his cover, for looks can deceive! He keeps perfecting his defence but, as he showed us on the American Championship, he really can kick butt! With Draciel as his partner, he's a hard nut to crack. One way or another, he always made his way to the finish-line till now!"

"And now, we pass onto the Magician team. We present you, the captain, Mike, competing with Iris. He's a complete mystery to us, but know this, lunatics of beyblade, he never lost either. His bit-beast, Vlamoth, is a vicious viper whose element is fire. He's quite strong."

"His brother, Tony, is the exact replica of Max! Always happy, and never backing down from a challenge. His bit beast is an eagle, Flaremoth, and has the element of earth, managing to manipulate earthquakes, which is very impressive. He's going to face Tyson as you know. Let's see how they behave; after all, both of them have free-style techniques."

"And now we pass onto the ladies, all sisters. The shy one is Katie, holder of Neokinmoth, a beautiful sphinx, and has the power of heat. She's going to battle Max. Her style is unknown; she never battled in an official battle. The one in the middle is Soraya, who keeps the Levmoth bit beast, a sea serpent, her element is water. She's in the same situation as her sis, we know nothing about her, only that she's quite strong and that she never lost before; going against Ray. The last one is the Quiet One of the team, nick-named Iz, from her original name Isabel. She bears Skyleanmoth, a really angry tigress and controls ice. Watch out for the fangs, Kai, she's one harsh blader!"

"THANK YOU, AJ TOPPER AND BRAD BEST FOR LETTING US KNOW OR REMEMBER ABOUT THESE TWO TEAMS! FIRST COMBAT, BEST OF THREE IS READY TO BEGIN! BEYBLADERS PLEASE WALK FORWARD!"

"Good luck, Iris!" Tyson patted her on the back.

"No worries! She's gonna win, no doubt!"

"Yeah! Don't forget not to be too harsh on them..." Max winked.

"Don't let them know all your strength; the element of surprise may be good for us in the second part of the tournament. Go slow and use only the necessary amount of power, there's no need to waste it." Kenny advised her.

"Okay. This guy may seem tough, but let's see how tough he really is on the battle field." Iris smirked at the slightly frowning boy, still looking bored, waiting for her in front of the dish.

"Hide your technique; it's better. Now go and **don't** underestimate him. You don't know what he's up to. I trust you won't need any help or advice." Kai glanced at her sideways, still not moving from his former position.

"Do I really have to answer that, captain?" in her eyes there was arrogance, "Forget every little thing you saw me do for as long as you know me, darlin'. That is **not** my technique." She fully ignored his questioning gaze and with a last mysterious smile, stepped out to the bey-dish.

_'Lugiohan, ready to kick Vlamoth's ass?'_ Cracking her knuckles, Iris climbed the steps confidently.

: I'm always ready to have some fun, Mistress... : came the slightly amused reply.

_'We shall show the world our power...'_ her smirk grew to an evil little grin, _'We are to be feared, my friend, never challenged...' _a sudden reddish flare on her clear light blue eyes made Mike take a more closer look at the girl in front of him. Her black and red launcher, held by the soft sway of her wrist, was menacing-looking, the bit chip of her blade shinning with a promise of an excellent but risky battle. Oh yeah, she was dangerous.

"So, you think you're a bad-boy and that I'm not good enough for you? Let's see what you've got, then..." her silky drawl brought the captain's attention to her red glinting lips. Her words seemed to refer to other things other than beyblading.

"I will, little vixen, don't worry 'bout that. Look out for the viper. It's going to get ya." He too had an accented voice, more than hers. He readied his green launcher and blade and positioned himself, getting into a more serious pose.

"Look out from above then, little snake..." she chuckled slyly.

"ANNNND 3... 2... 1!... LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETT IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPP!" DJ Jazzman shouted, beginning the battle.

The green top landed in the middle of the stadium, spinning swiftly, but the black one swept over one side, leaving a big deep welt and letting a screeching metal sound come out, making the audience bring their hands to their ears. Lugiohan was circling Vlamoth; in each lap, she shrunk the circle a bit. Soon, sparkles were flying from the metal contact of both weight disks.

"You're not going to defeat me that easily. I'm no amateur..." Mike pointed a finger at her, a snarl on his lips.

"Neither am I. So, show me what you got..." again that silky drawl.

_'That's her trick? Mimicking a temptress? Or is it something more?' _Mike quirked an eyebrow.

Kai's eyes observed Iris's every move_. 'It's so simple that is almost unpredictable... When she understands that the blader can be fooled, she plays with his mind, in this case flirting, much to my displeasure, and in a blink of an eye, she'll attack, leaving the guy clueless. Cunning little temptress she is...' _The captain smirked in satisfaction.

"I'm tired of this game! Vlamoth!"

Iris smirked, _'Why, oh why are they so damn stupid? Well, I really don't care; it's faster this way and certainly not my business either. Stand by, Lugiohan, you know what to do.'_

: Do not worry, young Mistress... : Her grin was more pleasant after hearing her bit beast. Her beyblade stopped circling the other, just spinning calmly, as if taunting him to attack her."Hn, getting scared now? What's the matter? Are we afraid now? Come **on**, I'm sure you're more of a challenge than that." the boy in front of her mocked, as Vlamoth spun faster, starting to advance on Lugiohan.

"If you wanna play rough, I'll show you rough..." she frowned lightly, "You shouldn't have underestimated me.. You're gonna pay for that."

"And what can a little girl do?" That was the last straw.

: Hn, something tells me that that was a **BIG** mistake... Poor kid. She doesn't seem to like being compared to males by the flashing red of her eyes... : an amused Fire Phoenix commented in his young master's mind: She's pretty strong, I like her style. Manoeuvres Lugiohan like a charm. :

_'I agree, Dranzer. Although, I can't shake the feeling that I saw that style, her posing, her technique, somewhere else. But I can't really say **where**.'_ Eyebrows knitted together, the slate-haired teen showed a thoughtful expression.

: Yes.. In some ways. The question remains unanswered though... Where:

Her eyes took a fiery red colour, the only silver being just on the irises' edges. "You reeeeeeeaally shouldn't have said that..."

Lugiohan mimicked her feelings, powered by her anger, starting to clash against Vlamoth, almost sending the other blade out of the dish with only two collisions.

"Show him what you can do, Lugiohan!" _'Careful, use just enough energy to send him off the bey-dish. No need to waste energy for a pointless cause.'_ Iris glared at her opponent and raised one arm above her head; in response, her bit chip started glowing a pure white light, too bright to anyone see any form from it. On a big flash and after the sound of metal grinding, the light suddenly disappeared.

In the end, when everyone took their arms covering their watery eyes from the abuse of bright light, they could see a black and red beyblade spinning with vehemence, while a green one was found at the feet of one bewildered Mike, still smoking, and almost completely shattered. "Next time, you'll know better than to insult any female in my presence. Got it?" she growled at him, turning around on her heels and returning to the rest of her gaping team mates, except for Kai, who had a not very surprised expression on his face, a smirk still gracing his fine lips, eyes glinting in amusement at her anger.

She shrugged, grinning sheepishly at them, "Sorry... Guess I went a bit out of control, huh?"

"A-A bit, you say?"

"FIRST ROUND GOES TO THE BLADEBREAKERS! LET'S SEE HOW THIS FIERY GIRL MAKES HER MOVE ON THE NEXT TWO! WE CAN SEE THAT SHE'S VERY COMPETITIVE! CAN MIKE CHANGE THE RESULT? LET'S SEE! MIKE, YOU HAVE 15 MINUTES TO GET YOUR BEYBLADE READY AND SPINNIN'!" DJ Jazzman commented, as the result board changed to put the World Champions in the lead.

"Ummm, Iris, you should control yourself, don't you think?" Kenny sweat-dropped, glancing up at her warily.

"Meh! Not my fault! That Mike guy insulted me! You heard him! He had no fu-freaking right to do that." She bit her tongue as not to swear after the look her captain threw at her quickly. The frown deepened as she crossed her arms in a huff, closing her eyes. Through the next two rounds, the same thing happened. Her style... Quick, harsh and fast, there was no denying it. Not far from Kai's.

The girl in question returned to the bench after the last one in a completely rotten mood, which made Tyson and Max think twice about complementing her in the first place. Everyone decided to let her be, as she muttered to herself in what they supposed was her native tongue. By the nastiness that some words seemed to have, they were almost completely sure that she was swearing loud and clear.

Iz was tough, but in the end, Kai managed to finish her off with almost no problem. Tyson wan the three rounds with Tony, much to his team-mates' surprise and his coach's satisfaction.

For having lost already 3 combats, the Magicians were out, and no need for more combats, as it would only be a simple formality. As they were leaving the dome, another familiar team made their way towards the exit, since there was a corridor all around the monument for the four different stadiums. Max and the rest of the BladeBreakers (minus Iris) recognized the team immediately. "Heeeeeeeeeyyyyy! It's the Majestic's!"

"It's who?" the girl asked to no one in particular, still in the dark.

"We battled them last time we came to Europe!" Tyson smiled at her, a gleam of challenge on his midnight-blue eyes, obviously not minding another battle.

"Why, if it isn't the BladeBreakers..." the purple haired boy, Robert, stopped walking and talking to his friends to look at them; that air of superiority still on his features, "I though that, to attend to this sort of tournament you had to have five active members. Last time I checked, you had four. Got a new one, by any chance?"

The only girl between the four European boys stepped forward, allowing them the first good look at her. Her eyes were lavender; her fiery red hair pulled back in a neat ponytail that reached her shoulder blades. She had mid-shin black boots, white knee-length skirt with some silver writings, a silky looking black short-sleeved tight shirt and white fingerless gloves which reached her wrists. In her left wrist she had a lavender scarf wrapped around it. Although, contrary to her seemingly relative, she did not wear the scowl, the look of pure boredom or the sneer upon her lips.

"I present you my sister, Rosemary McGregor. Rosemary, these are the BladeBreakers we told you about, the **magnificent** World Champions. The blond is Max, the one with the laptop is Kenny, the colourful one is Tyson, the Chinese is Ray and the sourpuss is Kai." The other team didn't fail to hear the sarcasm the redhead put on the word 'magnificent'.

"Save the sarcasm to someone who appreciates it, smart-ass." A female voice sounded from above the tension, as Iris stepped in front of the BladeBreakers, much like the fashion Rosemary was doing with her own team.

"Hey, hey, HEY! We didn't come here to discuss! C'mon! And who might this charming pretty lady be?" Enrique wiggled his eyebrows in her direction. Iris sweat-dropped.

"Let me guess, a typical playboy who is nothing but a failure?"

"Got that right on your first shot! Well done!"

"Thank you, Ray."

"She's our new team-mate, Iris Blanchett!" Tyson said proudly. Nevertheless, who saw the slate-haired captain and the lavender-eyed boy of the other team, would notice that their tension and rivalry still didn't leave their minds, even if the others were friends.

"Blanchett? You mean, Iris Catherine Blanchett?" Oliver looked at her, not bothering to disguise his French accent on one name of his homeland.

"Umm, yeah... Err; do I know you, by the way?" Iris raised her eyebrows.

"Oh no, not personally, but your family knows mine. Or, in better words, knew. My most sincere apologies to what happened to them. And knowing your temper, I know you will say I don't know anything about it, but my word is honest." He bowed a bit, his face now sober. He shook his hand with hers once, nodding. She found herself nodding back.

"Really? You lost your family? God, that really must be awful... Come here now, I'll keep you safe.." Enrique grinned, starting to walk towards her, his arms wide open. She stepped back though, not having enough trust on these guys.

Kai's arm rose, creating a barrier between the girl and the Italian, who looked at him questioningly. "What?"

"We should be going." was the only reply he got. Iris would only get a few embarrassing moments if they kept chattering, from Enrique's part.

"In that you're right, Kai. We won this first round, so look out for us. Until next time.." Robert nodded at them, smiling softly, as his team walked away. They still had a good laugh after Enrique tried to unsuccessfully put his arm around Rosemary's waist, and went face-first on the ground by her own arms shoving him away.

"Bye!"

The BladeBreakers started walking back to their hotel after the Majestic's went away on their limo. Kai noticed the slight tension on the smaller girl's shoulders in front of him. She had been tenser than she wanted them to believe. She really needed protection.

: Relax, Mistress. You have friends to help you now. They won't let anything or anyone hurt you. : The smooth voice of the Thunder Phoenix invaded her thoughts.

_'I just hope you're right, Lugiohan...'_ her lips curled back from her teeth in a silent snarl, _'I hate feeling this way. Hopeless. I know they couldn't hurt me back there, yet I was afraid. Feelings... They are just a bunch of confusing little things. We'd be better off without them.'_

A sigh was heard. : I wish you would stop saying that, young one... :

…TBC...

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**Thanks to:  
  
**Hiwatari-Angel-15: **why, thank u very much xD Glad u liked it, really do. Here's the next chap, hope u liked it as well.  
**

IcePhoenixLove: **hehe. Here's the update & thank u very much.**

dark Alley:** yes, yes, hope u liked all the nice torture xD here's the next chap.**

Tenebrae Rosa:** U can say I was far 2 lazy 2 do that, hehe... it wud give me far 2 much work. Besides, it's not crucial 2 the fic, since the hotel's not a very important detail 2 describe & stuff or anything else 4 that matter. So, it doesn't really matter, I guess. & yes, I suppose I did forget poor Maxie xD but I fixed that as soon as I read ur review ;) thnx 4 pointing that out 4 moi**

hiwatarisaori:** Hehehe, thank u very much ;) I love describing kissing scenes, I really do. U can say I have a sick fascination over them , That's y I do them a lot along the fic xP & the arguments r amusing 2 do as well. I need a bit of humour 2, since the fic will darken further on, u kno. Anyways, thanks a lot 4 R&R & u can surely count on me! **

Kimkizna:** thank u very much 4 liking them & taking ur time in reviewing the 3 chaps :) Hope u liked this one 2**

**Dark: Come back next Sunday & hope u liked all the new stuff. More 4 pages added 2 this one 2. Next chap, there will b the presentation of an essential character 2 the development of the plot as well**


	5. Protect her, never let her go

**Dark: 5th chap, 8 weeks left. R&R plz & enjoy. Warning, lots of flashbacks here. Time 2 get 2 kno a bit more about Iris's background. **

Summary/Disclaimer: check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

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**Chapter 4... Protect her, never let her go**

"Ya know, the food here is reeeeeeeeally good!" Tyson happily commented between big forkfuls."I thought you'd like regional food. But what I like best is the smoked pork sausages. Mmm, best in the world!" Iris chuckled softly, continuing her talk with Kenny and Dizzy.

Kai, having finished eating for about ten minutes, glanced briefly at the girl in front of him. She had too. _'Good.'_ He got up quietly, heading for the exit.

"Where are you going?" Ray quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Out." Was the simple reply.

Seeing him go out of the corner of her eye, Iris got up too a few minutes later, following Kai's example.

"And you?" once again the Chinese boy asked, even if he now had a slight idea.

"Going for a walk, need a bit of air." She hurriedly lied. Which was almost a second nature to her. Lying to her own friends, to convince them she was ok. Since dinner, she felt anxious, she didn't know why. '_Something's coming, and it's something good..'_ She smiled softly, passing the big doors and feeling the air outside. It was cold now. Portugal was like that, one day was sunny and hot as hell, and the next one was foggy and cold.

Ray snorted to himself, shaking his head, '_What you **do** need is Kai's company.'_

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When she came out, Kai pulled back from the wall he was leaning on, turning to look at her. He smirked lightly, remembering the face of the guy she battled earlier that day, "You did well today. I admit that I underestimated you greatly, in the first time we battled."

The Portuguese girl smirked back, "Never judge a book by its cover. Even if the cover is made out of velvety leather." A hand trailed down her own body, showing him what she meant.

"Very modest, aren't you?"

"I'm just being realistic." The innocent tone she just used, as if he was being completely unfair to her, led to his chuckling. "What?"

"Let's go take a walk."

"The lady is the one who should have the last word, you know."

"Ah yes, will the mademoiselle grace me with her pompous presence or am I too much of a peasant for you?" he rolled his eyes at her.

"That's more like it. We shall go, my slave!"

An eyebrow quirked, "Don't push your luck."

"I know, the bed is single." She nodded.

"What?"

"Don't push your luck, for the bed is only single." She waved her hand, "Don't mind me, it's a Portuguese saying."

"Yeah, it had to be."

"Hey!" knocking her hip against his, she pushed him, not having liked the comment. But right after, her head found his shoulder to lean on. "Meh, you're too much of a soft pillow to get rid of." His chuckle was music to her ears.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Deep turquoise blue orbs observed the couple in surprise. The teen, no older than the slate-haired boy he was just looking at, was sitting at a bench, his back to the big black deep waters of the Douro River, looking for five teenagers around these places. And he had found one of them.

Tala Ivanov, captain of the Demolition Boys, after being defeated by Tyson Granger, had changed a lot. Along with his team too. They rebelled against Boris, earning even worst punishments than they had before, but at the first chance they got, they escaped the Abbey. About time too.

The four of them separated, escaping through four different places. Soon, the guards had lost track on them. For what he heard, all of them found their families. Although, Tala was the only one who had no family whatsoever. Not that he knew about, that is. He had searched through his files back in the Abbey many, many times and had never found anything about any relative; that had to be something, right?

And just maybe that was the reason why he and Kai were friends since the moment they locked eyes the first time they saw each other. Alright, so not really **close** friends, but they did stand each other. But Kai was lucky. When he was nine, almost ten, he managed to run away from the Abbey. Even if his grandfather found him, instead of making him return, he sent him to Japan. Kai had promised them he would return though, and he did eventually. Even if he lost his memory along the way.

He now was wearing his usual shoes, a long sleeved shirt, black on the back and one stripe on each arm, the collar too, and the rest white. A pair of loose deep-red pants and brown fingerless gloves completed his attire. His hair was all spiked backwards, even if he let the normal two tresses over his eyes. As he was getting up, his sky-blue gaze rested on the girl that just rested her head on Kai's shoulder. His lips parted, eyes wide. '_Can it be? Iris?'_

: It is, little one... : Wolborg answered him: I feel Lady Lugiohan's presence. And of course, Lord Dranzer's. :

'_She changed a lot... But I'd recognize her features anywhere. I thought she had died..'_ a small smile made its way to his lips, as he remembered the little girl he once knew, now almost a woman before his eyes.

When they were training one day, approximately one week after Kai had escaped, a girl around their age appeared. Boris had said she had great potential, and it was their duty to inform her of the rules and train her. Since then, that same scared girl climbed her way through his emotional walls he always kept around his heart, walls that kept his true self away from the others, away from hurt, love, compassion, mercy and friendship. She had a place in his heart like no one had, she was the little sister he never had, his only family.

««Flashback»»  
Four boys, no older than ten were training non-stop as per usual, until the door opened, slamming into the wall, startling them, revealing the man-who-lives-to-torment-them, Boris. Behind him, stood a little girl, head low, her long black and red hair covering half of her face. He pushed her to stand in front of him instead, making her lose her balance briefly at the rough and sudden movement.

"Her name is Iris Blanchett. You four will be responsible for her training and such. Her room is next to yours, Tala. She has a great power in her; she will be very useful to us once she's ready and trained. Now resume your training!" Boris snapped, turning around swiftly, closing the doors after pushing the female inside harshly once more. The boys let out a sigh of relief when he was gone.

"Hi. Iris, right? The name's Tala." The red-haired child held his hand to her. The way he spoke was cold though, his eyes showing her nothing.

She just nodded, ignoring his hand (wasn't insecurity he just saw in her eyes?), and turning away from them. She launched her blade, as she stepped up to the stadium. Suddenly, another beyblade crashed onto the dish and touched hers slightly, sending it flying with no effort to the feet of its owner.

"Your beyblade needs more stamina, speed and balance. I can help you there if you'd like. I'm Bryan." A lavender haired boy walked up to her side, catching the fallen blade from the bey-dish and putting it back into her smaller hand. He let his own hand place itself on her shoulder, where he noticed her tense partially.

"Relax, little one. We're nothing like him. Don't be afraid. My name's Spencer and the shorty here is Ian." The slightly tall blonde smiled at her softly, ignoring the deep scowl his purple haired friend was giving him.

"Thanks." A small hoarse whisper passed through her lips. The boys could only imagine just for how long she had screamed before, for her voice to be this damaged.

"I'll show you your room if you want. Follow me." Tala beckoned her, heading for the door. The two kids made their way through the labyrinth-like corridors.

"What does he want." Her rasping voice broke the silence between them.

"Dunno." The boy replied, "All he ever demands is TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN!" he made a funny deeper voice, to ensemble Boris', making her laugh for the first time since he knew her, a sound he would look forward to hear in the future. "Why do you ask?"

"H-He hurts me." She stopped walking, looking at him, silver hues shinning with tears, some already spilling, even if she didn't make a sound, as if they weren't even there. Crying silent tears, over her unfair life, over the pain of her lost family, over the man who had brought all this to her. And yet, those same silvery eyes begged for his comfort.

Tala didn't know what to do; she was the first girl he ever saw in the Abbey, and the first girl he ever saw crying right in front of him, "Don't cry... Please don't cry. I won't let him hurt you. I'll do everything I can to stop him." He vowed at her ear, pulling her close in a protective way, as she cried, still not making a sound.

She lifted her head, her eyes hopeful, "Promise, Tala?"

"I promise."  
««End Flashback»»

And that was how he earned her trust; in exchange, he watched out for her, protecting her every time he could. And after some training, she became incredibly strong and the treasure of the four elite boys. The youngest of their team, and because of that, the most protected one.

The present Tala smiled sadly at the memory of the day when she confessed that Boris raped her, and the first time he actually punched him. He had probably broken Boris' nose, which resulted in fifty whips for two weeks every day, and almost no food. '_But it was worth it...' _he still thought it was.

««Flashback»»  
Two pre-teens ran through the cold halls of the Valkov Abbey. One was a silver-eyed, tearful, but silent girl, running away from the red-haired boy chasing her. But this time, being shorter didn't went in her favour, as he finally grasped her shoulders, spinning her around, pushing her against a wall, as gently as he could in a situation such as this. There was a moment of silence as the two kids caught their breath.

"What... is... wrong... with... you…" the taller boy finally let out between gasps.

"I-I can't tell you..." she whispered, avoiding his stare. She knew she wasn't all that good at hiding her feelings. They always showed through her eyes. And Tala could read her like an open book, if he so wanted.

"But why?" he tilted her chin upwards, looking into her eyes, searching, searching for the reason for her sadness, "I thought you trusted me. Tell me what's wrong, please, maybe I can help-"

"That **fucking** BASTARD **RAPES** me! That's what's wrong!" the female finally shouted, interrupting him, a sudden fire in her eyes, "You can't even stop the beatings he gives you, how can you say you can help me! I know you are concerned about me, but… You can't... You just can't, Tala. No one can. At least not yet, not until we're strong enough to defeat him."

Saying that Tala was shocked was like saying that the sun is hot, "He… what?" the boy spun around on his heels and at a fast stride made his way to Boris' office. '_It's_ _time to do something I should've done a long time ago… To take this matter into my own hands..._ _This time he has gone too far...'_ He kept walking, ignoring the girl struggling to keep up his pace and even his bit-beast's calls to let it go; he opened the wooden door and closed it fast, closing the girl outside too.

"What is it Tala? And what gives you the right to-" the purple haired man started walking towards him, obviously to say he should knock first, and blah blah blah, and beat him for such a small thing.

_'I'll give him reason to beat me up today, alright...'_ the boy interrupted him in mid-sentence, keeping the eye-contact and frown in place, knowing perfectly well that it was strict not to lock stares with your superiors. "And what gives YOU the right to **rape** her? What! She **doesn't** deserve it, she lost her family, her cruddy happiness and you made her lose her innocence by **abusing** her!" Tala hissed in pure rage, advancing to his nemesis and punching him hard, right on the nose, where a trickle of blood started to ooze almost immediately. He couldn't hold back a smirk at that.

Boris, now completely furious, punched the boy in the jaw, hearing the sickening sound that signalized it had broken. He kicked the child's abdomen, making Tala curl into a ball, gasping for air. "And we're not finished yet! Does the word whip makes a light go on, on your little immature head?" the eldest grabbed him by the arm and dragged the softly whimpering boy to the torture room, the fiery youth locking his turquoise, pained hues one last time with hers, not to open them again until three days later, where he would awake in the nursery.

Iris was crouched at the exit of Boris' office, despair and guilt written all over her features as she mouthed, "I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry..."  
««End Flashback»»

In the evening she escaped, after being raped yet again, he found her in her room in a horrible state. That was the last time he ever saw her. If her wounds and state of mind were a sign, he never thought he'd ever see her alive again. Even though Tala had tried everything to make her stay, in the end, she eluded him and managed to run away.

««Flashback»»  
Another training day was over. '_Finally_, I can get some rest...' was the thought of one turquoise-eyed red-haired young 13 year old. '_Now, where the heck is the she-devil?'_

Who didn't know them, would surely think they were brothers, by the way they looked out for each other. Well, they were, to a certain degree, just not by blood.

He entered her room, after knocking two times, his signal; her door was always open, and today was no different. Although her room was. It was empty... Bare. The only thing there was, was a photo frame of Miranda, her sister, and Iris herself in one of the nightstands.

Said girl was lying on her side in the small bed, knees pulled up to her chest, eyes closed. Her slightly tanned cheeks were tear-streaked and her clothes were put on in a hurry. '_That bastard... What would I give to have the power to kill him?' _He scowled at seeing her like this, this weak. This was nothing like her. Something was seriously wrong tonight.

Sitting on the bed and brushing a few black strands aside from her forehead, he whispered softly, "Rin?" He was probably the only one who ever dared to call her that. From her middle name Catherine (which she hated), he usually called her just Rin. So that she knew it was him who was speaking.

It was normal for her to snap her eyes open and move away from him, he knew. Then, she would say she was sorry. But today was different, as he came to realize. Those mystic silver blue hues of hers opened, locking with his clear blue ones, no emotion to read in them whatsoever. That was odd too. She wasn't like the normal kids outside; she knew all too well how to hide her emotions. But from an observant person, like himself, she couldn't. And yet, here she was doing that, right now.

"Hey.." She whispered as she sat up. Once more, her voice was a bit hoarse._ 'I see he wasn't anywhere near gentle this time. Not that he ever was to her.' _"I've got something very important to tell you."

"Shoot."

She took a deep breath, but did not look at him, "I'm leaving."

"What!" she had caught him off-guard. He may have expected many things, but nothing could have prepared him for that, "But-"

"No buts, Wolf, I'm sorry. I'll go mad if I don't. It's too much.. I am **not** his fucking whore or toy! I'm tired of all this! I can't go on!" her hands held her head, as her eyes shut tightly, more tears running down her cheeks. But no sound.

"Please don't cry... You know I hate seeing you like that..." he looked helplessly at her, wrapping an arm around her quivering shoulders, "What will I do without you? And the guys?"

"Boris **won't** leave me alone and I certainly won't give him Lugiohan. I have to get away… It's the only thing I have left. I'm sorry. I know you guys try everything you can to keep him away from me, but you aren't near strong enough to actually **stop** him. I have to go.. Tonight."

"No!" as she tried to catch his stare, it was his turn to look away as his own tears shed, "You're everything I have left too.. I don't have anyone else! Please, don't do this to me, to us… Don't leave."

And instead of being him the one who comforted her, he ended up falling asleep on her lap, her hands threading through his hair, soothing and calming him down enough to put him into a light rest. By the time he woke up, all that was left was her scent, good and bad memories and one single note written in her precise calligraphy.

_Wolf,  
Don't worry about me, you taught me well... Too well, I guess.  
I'm leaving, but this is not the last of me, I promise. We'll see each other again, I know we will. Yeah, what Ian calls 'female intuition', I think. _

_Please give my apologies to them and to yourself._

_But trust me, even while you're reading this, I'm thinking of you... All of you.  
See you around, Yuriy, Bry, Spence and Ian..._

_Iris C. Blanchett  
(Rin)_

As he read the first two sentences, over and over again, he realized he was crying once more. The only light in the darkness around him had been shut off, and for once, he couldn't find a way to turn it on once more.  
««End Flashback»»

And right here and right now, there she was, in front of him, just like she promised in that note. With one of the few people he needed to find. The little money he had was shortening and he couldn't get much either. The last thing he needed was the police after him. He walked towards them.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Kai slowed down their pace as he saw who was approaching them. He opened his mouth to speak, when Iris suddenly gasped, interrupting him.

"TALA!" the girl quickly swung her arms around the poor Russian's neck, hugging him tightly, as Tala hugged her back, patting her back gently.

"Yeah.. I'm back… But don't think I'm happy with the way you left, you know. I didn't forget it."

"I swear I'll never ever leave you guys like that. Me promises. Happy now?"

"You two know each other?" Kai looked at them, quirking an eyebrow.

"Actually, we do, yeah. You see, she was in the Abbey too. A few days after you left." Tala explained.

"She was?" Kai glanced at her, '_So that's why her technique is so familiar... It's like the Demolition Boys'...'  
_  
"You mean you were there too?" Iris finally released the redhead (who behind her back rubbed his neck, grimacing slightly), glancing back at the maroon eyed teen.

"For most of my childhood, yes, but I managed to run away. According to Tala, a few days before you arrived."

"I see."

"Anyway, what exactly **are** you doing here, Wolf?"

"Duh, running away." Tala rolled his eyes, "All of us are... We separated, just in case."

"You seem thinner. Are you eating properly?" the black haired girl scolded him suddenly, making both males snicker a bit.

"We all **are** wanted, Rin. Boris is giving a good reward for those who find me, Ian, Spencer, Bryan... And even you. All of us need to be careful. But as I was saying, I can't spend much time in one place while I'm alone like I was. The authorities would know, and inform the Abbey. As I heard of a tournament here in Portugal, I came here looking for you guys." He glanced at Kai.

"About staying with us, there's no problem."

"And help the team too!" Iris winked, "Just like the old times, eh?"

Bright blue eyes softened, "Yeah, like the old times."

"We better go then. You two coming?" Kai nodded at the hotel. The three teens made their way back to it. "By the way, why did you call her 'Rin'?"

"My second name is Catherine. And as I hate being called 'Cathy', which Ian just loooves to call me, Yuriy here was a sweetheart and thought about 'Rin' for me."

"Yup."

Once they arrived to their destination, none of the BladeBreakers actually looked at them or noticed the new comer.

And suddenly, Max noticed him, "Hey! IT'S TALA!"

"What are you doing around here?" Tyson waved at him, which earned him three raised eyebrows. Tala quickly explained them the same thing he had explained previously.

And the talking started from there. A couple of hours later, the seven teens soon made their way to their respective beds, Tala contenting himself with the couch, and soon fell asleep. Iris couldn't help but feel happy as her lips curved into a smile. Her instinct had been right, not once, but twice. She knew they would meet again, and they did; she felt something good was going to happen, and it did. With that thought in mind, she drifted on to a restful sleep.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

As she was half-asleep already, just seeing the horizon of tonight's dream, soft, feather-like cold lips grazed her neck. She wasn't scared; Lugiohan would have warned her, and her intuition wasn't making any signs of bad things coming, so she tilted her head up, giving him better access to her neck.

"Come to the balcony." His breath on her neck was the last thing she felt, as he pulled away.

Stretching lazily on the bed, and grinning up at him as she noticed him staring, she followed him quietly. Kai was only on his pyjama bottoms, she noticed. Her own Pj's consisted in a white loose tee, and baby-blue shorts. Not that she minded being seen like this.

But she did mind when she felt that the air outside was cold, just as it was before. _'Right. I forgot about that.'_ However, as his arms found her waist, pulling her close, the cold didn't seem to mind her in the least. As much of a shock as it came, she found she kind of liked being against his strong body, as her own moulded to it. Her head leaned against his chest, her eyes drifting close once more. She was used to go to bed late, but after having a taste of sleep, she felt a bit sleepy herself, if not a bit lazy. Most of her weight was supported by his arms. Not that she was heavy. On the contrary.

Being this close to him, she was able to pick up his scent. Beyond the soft cologne he used, she smelled the definitely male scent that was simply labelled 'Kai'. "You smell good."

"It wouldn't do if I didn't, don't you think?" she could almost see his slight smile.

Tilting her head up, Iris was surprised to feel his lips gently brushing against hers right after. And what surprised her even more, was when she started to respond as if she knew exactly what to do. Which, needless to say, she didn't.

It was his turn to be surprised as he felt the tip of her tongue trace his lower lip, pulling back only to do it again. Usually she was shy. But he parted his lips, giving her access anyway. He was the last one to complain about that.

For the few minutes, the young couple stayed in each other's arms, relishing in each other's presence, completely unaware of the softly smiling red-haired teen that had awoken to drink a cup of water.

"Who would have though." he mouthed to himself, shaking his head, as he slipped out of sight, unseen.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

It was exactly 7.15am. The BladeBreakers, along with Tala, were having a calm breakfast at the moment. Kai's idea was to train before the second combat of the competition, (much to Tyson's displeasure of course) which started at 9.30am.

"Aww, c'mon, Kai! Pleeeeeeeeaaase! We're battling in about… two hours!"

"So?" was the only response the navy-blue eyed teen got as they headed outside. _  
_  
The morning passed quite fast, as their battle was in the morning and they intended on seeing the Majestic's as their combat was in the afternoon, at 16.30pm. This time, it was Ray, Max and then Iris who battled.

"I see you're still in top shape." Tala winked at her, while they were leaving the bey-stadium to have lunch.

"Of course! What do you think I am?"

"Well, let me see, a lazy, full of yourself, girly-"

"Am not!" she started chasing him at the last comment.

"Are too!" the longer legs of the blue eyed boy gave him an advantage, as Tala avoided her easily.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"AM NOT!"

"Are too!"

Tyson sweat-dropped, glancing at them, "And they call us childish, Maxie."

The blond chuckled, "Ditto!"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

After a good lunch, Tala and Kai went over to the balcony unnoticed, as Iris was beating Tyson merciless at Tekken4, on the PlayStation2 the World Champion brought along, and the others were laughing at his astonished expression at her skill.

"Glad you guys managed to escape. I'm sorry if I couldn't help."

"No hard feelings about that. You did all you could. That's what it counts."

"So, what's the story behind you and Iris?" the blue eyed teen smirked; he suspected the other boy would ask something alone those lines.

"No words to describe what we have; it's just like a mutual understanding between us both. We know what the other might be feeling and needing by only a few glances. I was the one responsible for her trainings. Not **only** me, but we practised together." His eyes hardened slightly as the next few words escaped his mouth, "Although I have a thin patience, it's not on my nature to simply resign to violence. But if anything or any**one** **EVER** hurts her in my presence, or if she tells me about it, I'll kill the bastard right away. I **don't** want to see her get hurt."

The slate haired teen nodded in agreement, "I'd feel the same way, if I was in your place, I'm sure."

"Ah, yes..." Tala smirked lightly, glancing at him over his shoulder from his spot on the balcony's railings, "I can see how... **close** you two are."

Kai's eyes narrowed slightly at that, "What do you mean."

"Why, nothing..." he had his back turned, but the young phoenix could almost see the smirk still in place.

'_He knows something...'_

"But keep this in mind, Phoenix... I don't want to see her heart broken. She passed through too much already. She might be younger than us, but her punishments were, by far, worst and humiliating. And no matter what happens from now on, all I ask is for you to protect her; she needs all the help she can get. She's just too damn proud to admit it."

All the other did was quirk an eyebrow at the sudden change of subject, but he kept quiet, simply nodding. Perhaps this way, he might find out a few more things about her. Maybe.

: Do not rush things, young one. She will tell you in due time, when she is ready. Miss Blanchett needs space and time to ponder her options more than any other female does. :

_'Can't argue with that, Dranzer.' _

"And one more thing..." the Demolition Boys' captain turned around to look at him in the eye, his own turquoise stare filled with an emotion Kai couldn't really identify, "Whatever you do, whatever happens, she'll need your support. Don't ever let her go, she needs a shoulder to lean on, even if she doesn't ask for one." as he passed him to go inside, Tala placed one hand on his shoulder.

_'That was... odd.'  
_  
"Ah-HA! I won! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Iris suddenly shouted, while Tyson crossed his arms, frowning deeply.

"Meh, no fair! You're not a novice after all!"

"Yes I was! I had never played Tekken4 before!"

"Then… Then… You had the game bewitched or something!" everyone sweat-dropped.

"Err, right… If you say so, Dragon."

: Iris is a very complicated female... : was the only comment Dranzer left on his master's mind before he retreated, the flash of red light from the bit chip of the dark blue beyblade warming up his fingertips briefly. Which left him even more confused.

_'What did really happen to you, Iris Blanchett?'  
_  
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"AAAAAANND THIS AFTERNOON, WE HAVE THE MAJESTIC'S AGAINST THE STARLIGHTS!"

"Tell me again why we gotta see these losers?" Iris asked in a bored tone. The seven bladers were sitting on the front row and since they arrived, the only female in the group hadn't stopped complaining yet.

"Look, that's **really** getting on my nerves, if you know what I mean..." Tala glanced at her as if in warning; they all them knew how his patience was thin. **Especially** herself.

"We're here to see this Rosemary. We never met her before and Dizzy doesn't have any statistics whatsoever about her." Kenny quickly explained.

"That's not everything to win, you know. What counts is your technique and keeping a cool head. Not let your guard down nor let your anger take the best of you." she pouted.

"Well, yes, in its essence, that's the key to victory. Although, it's better to know her style and bit-beast already. It will be easier to everybody that way."

"She **has** a bit-beast?"

"Yes, she does, girl," Dizzy replied, "The name's Raylyan (a/n:. read Raylayan) and she's a powerful fire dragon. Like her brother, she too relies on the element of fire. Never defeated... Yet."

"Got that right. Hmph!" Iris kept sulking though. She didn't want to say her real reason for wanting to stay in the hotel; for quite some time she felt someone, some**thing** calling for her, as if longing for her own power. And she didn't like it one bit.

"And she's good?"

"That's what we're here to find out." At that moment, the last of the five boys of the Starlights' team came towards one of the edges of the bey-dish as the tanned girl from the Majestic's moved to be right in front of him. As Tala's eyes rested upon her, it wasn't just a normal girl; it was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. Her strange eyes, wild hair, slim frame... Gorgeous. And only one more girl had had the honour of having that same adjective characterizing her. A girl from his childhood, from the Abbey. Tenebrae Rosa.

"AAAAANND 3... 2... 1!... LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTT IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPP!"

Rosemary's shinny red beyblade was almost equal in design with Johnny's. She was fast and agile, her movements smooth and gracious. The boy didn't have any chance. The two first rounds weren't anything near special, quick, harsh and fast, but her last one...

"Now, Raylyan, show me your power! Arise!" she stretched her arm in front of her as her blade shone a bright red light. A mighty dragon came forward, similar to Dragoon, but in a red colour and looking slightly more feminine to all of them, god-knew-why. The opposite yellow blade went crashing to the floor, dismantled but luckily not broken, as the bit chip landed by his blader's right foot. Briefly, Rosemary's lavender stare looked their way. All of them saw she didn't have the arrogance her brother had. No, not at all.

The BladeBreakers waited for them, just to talk a bit, since Chief was really excited about Raylyan.

"I just HAVE to have more data on her!" he kept saying, hopping around, as his friends shook their heads and quirked their eyebrows at the young genius. Some minutes after, the Majestic's appeared, walking towards them.

"What are you doing here? Your battle was in the morning, if I'm not mistaken." Enrique said, but he didn't bother looking away from Rosemary from the corner of his eye, let alone covering that up.

"Ah alre'dy told ya! Stop wit' da starin'! Ah don' lik' it!" her voice sounded for the first time, annoyed, as she glared at the blonde playboy while he simply grinned sheepishly. Her Scottish accent clear in almost every word.

As they were walking, Tyson was on the lead, along with Robert, talking about the victories and how much they improved, switching impressions, as were Ray and Oliver, and Max was laughing at Enrique's jokes. Kai and Johnny were glaring at each other, while Iris rolled her eyes once in a while, walking beside them.

As soon as Kenny slowed down, discussing with Dizzy after having talked to her, Rosemary noticed the redhead on the end of the group. She stopped for a few moments, before continuing to walk alongside of him.

"Yer on their team?" her tone just curious, but as soft as it was, it still made a shiver suddenly run up and down his spine.

"Actually no, I'm just a... friend. I decided to drop by, and pay them a visit." He nodded at the teens in front of them casually, speaking coolly.

"Ah seey. An' yer name's?" she turned to look at him, her head tilting to the side slightly. '_He's quite cute, in his own speci'l way...'  
_  
"Tala Ivanov."

"Umm, sovietic, Ah s'pose?" she inquired, tilting her head to the side.

"Russian if you're that curious. Although, my first name in Russian is Yuriy."

The girl giggled softly, "Ahhh, don' ask mey ta speak in otha languages; Robe't's always sayin' dat Ah don' know how ta speak English, let alone speak Russian. But Ah keep tellin' 'im Ah speak Scottish! Aww man, de othas ar' sayin' good-bye alre'dy. Guess Ah gotta go now..." She seemed a bit sad, for some reason. "Seey ya-" but she never got to finish that phrase...

…TBC...

* * *

**Thanks to:  
  
**Tenebrae Rosa:** Well, I didn't write 'Boris' on the nightmare, since I thought it was more than obvious. I mean, I say Iris was raped by him rite in the prologue. U'd have 2 have a worse memory than mine 2 forget that while reading ST! xD Meh, as 4 the description of the Abbey, I didn't think it was necessary. People wud think it was that part that was important, where in fact it wasn't, ne? I just describe wat I think needs a gud description. Anything else is up 2 ur imagination. I dun like giving many boundaries 2 the readers xDD They might think of that much description as something boring. I dun want that. As 4 the spelling mistakes, where? **

dark Alley: **thnx a lot xD I liked writing that part as well, hehe. I hate stuck-up blokes, I really do. They get soooo much on my nerves, all I wanna do is castrate them just 2 hear their high pitched voices xDD just joking, dun worry. Well, glad u liked it anyways & here's the next one **

Vican89:** Thank u very much 4 reading it again then. They say a gud author is one who brings out the emotions on the reader ;) hehe, just kidding… I'm simply an amateur. Anyways, u can check again on since I posted a new chap there, u kno. Or u can always wait. Here's the update nevertheless, hope u liked it**

Whatevergurlx0x: **thnx. Here's next chap**

**Dark: hope u liked it. Even if it ended in a nice, pretty cliff hanger. Or not, if u'r sharp enough, ne. 'round the same size, this one was. Now, review if u plz. Next week, I won't update, since I'm off 2 spend vacations w/ my parents. I'll b back on the16th & I'll update on the 20th, the next Sunday. Kno what that means? Next time I update, 2 or (if I'm in the mood) 3 chaps in a row. Aren't u so lucky I'm so understanding now? Unless u review & ask me 2 leave one chap just b4 I leave 4 vacations, of course, either on Thursday or Friday. I might reconsider. Depends on u & how many reviews I get. Ja ne & have fun**


	6. The night holds many secrets

**Dark: Ah, it's gud 2 b back home w/ my dear computer & still on hols, sleep in & not do much, but write my fics or read some others xD 6th, 7th & 8th chaps r here & I hope u like them very much. Enjoy reading. 5 weeks 2 go. **

Summary/Disclaimer: check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 5... The night holds many secrets  
**

... she never got to finish that phrase as Tala's lips let a whisper of a kiss upon hers. Rosemary just stood there for a bit as Tala walked away to stand beside the other team, his back to her.

The BladeBreakers started to walk away, bidding farewell to each other. Locking eyes one last time with the Scottish girl, Tala followed them.

"Hey Rose, get in!" Enrique finally called to the absent minded girl, her eyes still on a certain red-head. With a shy smile and a faint blush she entered Robert's limousine and they too were off.

The one who didn't like this change of events was her cousin, who looked at her with an expression close to disgust. But he ignored it. For now, that is.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"What did you do to be blushing?" a slate eyebrow rose in amusement, as Kai glanced at his friend.

"Shut up." Tala frowned lightly, quickly looking away.

"C'mon, the girl was blushing too. What **did** you do?" Iris joined the conversation, walking between the two boys. Tala mumbled something in reply.

"What?" the couple said in unison, looking his way.

"So I kissed her! Big deal!" His blush grew considerably, "Why don't you just post it on the damn newspaper?"

A definitely feminine giggle reached his ears, "I knew it! I saw it, you know?" Iris nudged at his arm, snickering.

"You- You **what**?" Tala turned to look at her smug expression, wide eyed, "Do you know the meaning of the word 'privacy'!"

"Hey, I just wanted to know if you would admit it! And you did! Very good, Yuriy!" she smirked arrogantly at his outraged expression, patting his head.

"Knock it off! I'm not a dog, you know..."

"Right. You're a wolf."

"Hn." And with that, she chuckled some more.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"It's only 6pm in the afternoon..." Kai smirked at his team-mates, namely at a certain Tyson Granger.

"NOOOOO! HAVE MERCY ON US!" the younger boy shouted, staying as far away from the captain as he could, while the others sweat-dropped.

Iris let out an exasperated sigh, "What's your bloo- err, problem with some training?" she swiftly stopped herself from cussing in front of the kids, grumbling as she grabbed the navy bluenette's collar and dragged him to the patio beside the main entrance of the hotel. "Hey, Kai! Can I battle with Tala?"

Kai glanced at her briefly, "Suit yourself. Max with Tyson and Ray with me, then."

"Alright, boys... err, and girl. First battle," Dizzy said, "3... 2... 1... Let it rip!"

The two younger bladers sent their tops spinning, as they clashed together harshly, trying to get the upper hand. But luck doesn't last forever, as our dear Tyson found out the hard way. By letting his guard down a bit, he gave Draciel the perfect chance to send Dragoon out of the dish.

"What? Meh, no fair!" Tyson sulked, crossing his arms, while Max patted his back, laughing.

"Sore loser!"

Kai and Ray stepped up to battle next. "Let it RIP!" they both shouted at the same time. The beyblade's clashed once before landing, grinding together, trying to overpower one another.

"Drigger, arise!"

"Dranzer!"

The two mighty bit-beasts rose from the beyblade's, aiming to intimidate the other. The white tiger finally roared, tired of the game of cat and mouse, and attacked Dranzer head-on. The Fire Phoenix dodged his move, trying to clash his immense talons on the tiger's back. Managing to slash Drigger, Dranzer started to fly up, but not before Drigger's own claws made a gash at his side.

With a final blow, both blades shot from the dish to the outstretched hands of their owners, bits shinning, the attack rings still smoking.

"Good battle." Ray complemented, trying to get a good hold of Drigger, as it was still quite hot.

"Hn." The captain simply leaned against the hotel's wall in his usual stance, eyes closed. _'Dranzer, you alright?'_

: Don't worry, little one, everything's okay. Just another day's work. : That made the captain smile softly.

"A tie. Okay. Iris, Tala, you're next." Kenny positioned Dizzy's camera to the bey-dish; he had made some modifications to her defence ring barely an hour ago.

"Get ready…" a wolfish grin graced her lips, her body feeling the adrenaline flowing through her, loving the idea to finally have a combat with her best friend.

"To feel..." Tala continued in the same drawl she used, a similar grin on his own lips, eyes shining with pride of the little devil, his only family.

"The thunder." they both crouched a bit; both wanting a battle to remember, not just a normal training. For so long since they battled... But these conditions were different, and much happier, no doubt.

"And the ice..." the corner of his mouth went up a bit as he added that.

"3... 2... 1!... Let it rip!"

The two beyblade's went for the dish, making two slices each on where they landed. The first clash was powerful, the grey blade's bit chip shining a pale green light and the black's a pure white one, calling for their masters to set them free. Both were circling, still making contact, sending sparks and bits of melted metal from the stadium everywhere. Then, suddenly, they both parted, and not even bothering to ask permission to their respective beybladers any longer, the great Thunder Phoenix and Ice Wolf came forward, just locking their piercing stares.

: It has been a long time, Lord Wolborg. :

: True, Lady Lugiohan. A long and hard time, but they both are very strong. :

: And stubborn, yes, which worked to their favour this time. We will see each other more often now, I hope. :

: Indeed. :

"Now Lugiohan! Thunder Clasp!"

"Steady there, Wolborg."

The phoenix screeched loudly as the wolf came forward, barring its sharp fangs. As they collided, a beam of light shot into the sky, engulfing the quarrelling beasts, as they still fought for victory. As the light faded, and with a last blow to each of the attack rings, both beyblade's were pushed back by the sheer force of it, making Lugiohan tumble over the edge of the stadium, as the black blade weighted less than the grey one, due to her defence ring, made of a lighter material than Wolborg's, allowing her more agility and speed, but also that fatal weakness.

"You lost." Tala said smugly, poking her on her ribs, knowing damn well how she hated it.

"Don't rub on it..." she warned, picking up the fallen top.

"Hey guys! I've just received an e-mail from Mr. Dickenson. We passed the preliminaries, as you know, and now the second part of the tournament is going to begin. Two singulars and two duos. Within three days we're going against... Oh, against the White Tigers!" Chief informed them as a picture of the team appeared on Dizzy's monitor, along with another boy they didn't know about.

"You went home after the World's. Are they better?" Kai stepped into the small group, eyeing Ray.

"They trained a lot, by what Lee told me. And yes, they're faster and stronger. As I'm no longer a White Tiger, I couldn't see their training, and they refused to battle me, as not to show me their new technique." Ray's eyes didn't leave the picture, "They have a new member also, a cousin of mine, Yamatto, known as Matt. His bit-beast is a jaguar, Leonphate. His style is like mine, sorta..."

Iris noted that Ray's eyes lit up with something she couldn't really identify when he looked at the picture. She grinned, _'Hmm, maybe I could fix that...'_ she thought, smiling at the pink-haired girl's picture and then at her team-mate.

"I'm hungry!" everyone sweat-dropped at Tyson's sudden remark. With all this, it was almost seven o'clock.

"The canteen only opens in half an hour, Tyson." Kenny informed him.

"Aww..."

"I'll go take a walk, if you guys don't mind." Ray spared a look at Kai and when he said nothing, the Chinese boy started to walk away. He soon heard soft footsteps, as Iris came by his side. They resumed their walking in silence.

"You like her don't you?"

"Wha-Who? I-I dunno-" Ray stammered, but she laughed silently at him.

"Don't you dare lying to me, Raymond..." her soft accented voice floated over the air around them.

"Don't call me that. And what is it to you if I like her or not?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. I mean, she's a childhood friend of yours, yes?"

"Yeah, so? It's not as if she likes me or anything..." as disguised as it was, she still heard a bitter tone in his voice.

"I never met her," Iris turned to him, locking her blue orbs with his honey ones, "But have you ever thought that she may feel the same way? I saw your combat by TV on the Asian Tournament. Didn't you see the look in her eyes? Or when you got hurt against Bryan on the World's? Mariah has a soft side for you Ray, but she's proud-," '_Just like me..._' "-which doesn't let her be open to you completely. At least, until she finds out if you have feelings for her too, to risk that."

"I... Well, I never thought of it like that." Ray looked at the ground, mentally scolding himself for not having put that possibility into thought, "But enough talking about me." The boy suddenly grinned, "And how's Kai?"

"What do you mean?" like Kai, her speed in replying gave her away.

"Now, look who's lying." Ray chuckled softly at her.

That made her shut up, "Hn. Whatever..."

"No, really." Ray turned to her, "I know you guys are close, but are you more than that?"

"Would you like it if I put my nose into your business too?"

"Don't answer a question with another question, Iris, c'mon, speak up!" the amber-eyed boy pressed, "I know it's none of my business, but lately, Kai is more... open. You had to see him before you came. After the World's, he opened up a bit more, and yes, he opens up even more to Tala and the other Demo-boys, but to you, I'd say he's almost caring! He usually ignores the fact that females even exist."

"Hmm..." was the sole reply he got. The girl was deep in thought, by the knitted eyebrows and hand on her chin. "See you around, Ray." She turned to a slightly brighter alley, as they were walking on the main street. The sun was setting and she was heading for the beach, on the riverside. Ray kept going, deciding against following her. She knew her way around the town better than he himself, she'll be just fine.

As the end of the alley came into view, the river was bathed by the sun, making the calm waters seem like an unreachable glass, the horizon made of deep reds, oranges and light pinks, with some taints of blue, lilac and purple. The sun had always marvelled her, ever since her sister showed it to her. It was so big and bright... And gone, as it dipped over the waters. She smiled, glancing at her watch. 7.42. Wow; I'm swimming on my past memories and my feelings for Kai for almost 45 minutes. And I'm hungry... she glanced at her flat stomach as it grumbled, passing a hand over it. "Now I know how Tyson feels."

"They say the first sign of madness is to start talking to yourself." a deep voice whispered at her ear, startling her. Very few people had ever been that close to her without her acknowledgement. She almost lost her balance on the high bench she was resting, but his strong arms pulled her to safety once more.

"Don't you **do** that..." she snapped unintentionally in an annoyed tone. How she hated surprises...

His chin rested on her shoulder gently, "You shouldn't have gone away by yourself. When Ray returned alone, I expected you to come with him."

"Aww..." she teased, grinning, "Did I get the famous Kai Hiwatari all worried and worked up over a girl?"

"I'll let you discover that on your own." His lips grazed the sensitive skin of her neck as he spoke, "We should go. You need to eat, and so do I. Tomorrow is gonna be a tough battle."

"Those White-whatever are good?" they started to make their way back.

"They gave us some trouble in the Asian Tournament, yes. Even if I'd play against them, I would have had a few problems of my own. Kevin is no big deal, he just talks too much and he's overconfident, worse than Tyson."

"And that's saying a lot." Iris snickered a bit.

"Gary is strong, but if you talk about food to him, he loses his concentration." This time it was Kai's turn to snicker, "Exactly like Tyson. Mariah... she's quite strong and her Galux is powerful. Even if her attack is a bit weak, she has a great stamina. Lee, their captain, is the strongest. His attacks are quick and harsh; has great control over Galleon. And as I'm sure he did, he trained a lot after the combat we had, and like Ray already said, he's stronger than he was before. And that Matt guy, I never saw his blading."

"I see." Iris's hand snaked over the hem of his trousers, her thumb going through one of the loops of them. His arm made its way around her shoulders, as her head leaned against his shoulder. Silence... A thing she usually hated. But not in his company. Never in his company.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

This time, their battle was in the afternoon, 15.35pm, and all of them were already in the hall to make their entrance. Tala had to stay in the normal seats.

"OKAY FOLKS; LET'S BEGIN THIS FIRST SINGULAR ROUND! FIRST, WE HAVE OUR CHAMPION, TYSON, FROM THE BLADEBREAKERS, AGAINST KEVIN, FROM THE WHITE TIGERS!"

"I'm gonna take your title..." Kevin teased, smirking at Tyson.

"Pff, no way. In your dreams, shorty..." Tyson crossed his arms over his chest, looking smugly at him sideways.

"Tyson, he just wants to distract you. Don't pay any mind to what he's saying!" Iris rolled her eyes discreetly, frowning lightly at the navy-haired blader.

"Oh yeah..." Tyson grinned sheepishly, "Doesn't matter. I'll defeat him anyway."

"Yeah, right... Keep thinking like that and the only thing you'll ever be good at, is being an optimist." She grumbled quietly, while Max and Ray laughed silently at that. The combat was quick, ending when it barely started, Tyson losing. The Dragon Holder was shocked, to say the least.

"How did.. And then?" Tyson looked at a snickering Kevin, as he was dragged away by Kenny and Max.

"I hate saying this, as it's so old and childish, but... I told you so." The only female got up, growling quietly, looking down at the boy.

"She's right." Kai frowned at him, "And Iris, do make his training longer, will you?"

"You read my mind, captain." She smirked lightly.

The Champion was wide eyed by now, almost reminding a wounded puppy, "No! Oh please, no, anything but that! I'll win next time! I promise I will! But pleeeeease no more training! It's enough as it is!"

"And do I really look like I care about that?" was the phoenix's response, as the others chuckled.

Next round was a harsh one, between Ray and Lee, and it ended in a respectful tie. The duos would now start, Tyson and Max against Mariah and the Matt guy. And if the BladeBreakers wanted to pass, they needed to win both.

"3... 2... 1!... LET IT RIP!"

Draciel and Dragoon started to circle the other two tops, shrinking the circle, until sparks were flying everywhere.

"Keep that up, Draciel!"

"Good work, Dragoon."

"Don't think this is over yet. You spent too much energy on that attack, putting you in a slight... disadvantage." Matt looked over them, smirking. "Leonphate!"

"Galux!" Both bit chips shinned, charging forward. Draciel's defence wobbled briefly, letting Leonphate pass and head to the white beyblade. After successfully managing to defeat Galux, Draciel moved to help Dragoon.

The other two tops were grinding, as their masters were locking their gaze, not wanting to give in to the other. But with Draciel's additional energy, Matt was easily defeated.

"Thanks, Max." Tyson high-fived with the blond "Couldn't have done it without you!"

"Anytime!"

Iris and Ray got up, climbing up the steps. Initially, it was Kai who would battle alongside with Iris, but since their opponents would be Mariah and Lee, Kenny immediately said that Ray should go instead.

"So, you're their new blader, eh? Let's see just how good you are then, shall we?" Lee looked her up and down, preparing his launcher, as the others did it also.

"She's one of the best, that'll be all I'll tell you. I don't want to ruin your surprise. That's why Kai let her in, in the first place." Ray put an end to the conversation, his voice with a tone of finality.

The combat started with all the beyblade's colliding at the centre of the dish and then separating, just to clash harshly once more. Both girls left the males alone; by the concentration that was hanging in the air all around them, this was more than a simple game to them. Not rivals, but respectable warriors, just wanting to know who was the best.

Lugiohan charged against Galux and when finally the Mountain Cat succumbed to the stronger attack, the Thunder Phoenix intervened on the tiger and lion's battle. Deep inside, Iris knew she shouldn't have stepped into their way, but deciding against it, she did. As Lee and Ray were just clashing and grounding together, it was quite simple for Lugiohan to send a strong blow to Galleon's side, pushing him off the dish.

"AND YES, THEY DID IT! THE BLADEBREAKERS CONTINUE ON THE TOURNAMENT, WHILE THE WHITE TIGERS SAY GOOD-BYE!"

Ray returned to his seat after retrieving Drigger, sulking and frowning at his team-mate, "I'd rather continue the battle alone, Iris. You knew that."

In response, she simply shrugged, "You were wasting time. No need to prolong the battle any longer."

The two teams walked away together, as Tala joined them afterwards. They all sat down on a bench outside, out of reach from the crazed fans.

"If I was in your place though, I'd be careful with one team." Lee was saying.

"You mean, the Majestic's? Ah, no problem! We battled them before, and they lost, remember?" Tyson winked at his team-mates conspiratorially, ignoring Lee completely.

"Uhh... Actually, no." Mariah rolled her eyes at his behaviour, _'That's how he's gonna lose one of these days...'_ "They are called the Shadowed Blades. They're a new team, but we already saw their blading and they're quite strong."

"But their style though..." Matt continued, "Is kinda weird. Cold, detached. They never lost and they still haven't used their bit-beasts once."

"There!" Chief finally stopped the frenetic typing on Dizzy's keyboard, showing them some data on five bladers, four boys and one girl. The female's face was strangely familiar to all of them and the light hair and eyes-

"Bryan's sister…?" three voices whispered out loud.

"What is she doing here anyway? On a tournament?" Iris looked over the picture confusingly, not knowing what to think of it.

"Forget that, wasn't she at the Abbey? She hadn't finished the tests yet. And speaking of those, wasn't she considered practically **dead** for not being strong-willed enough to pass one of them?" Kai glanced at Tala briefly, who gave him a short nod, slight confusion in his eyes.

"I think that this is Boris' new team..." Iris hadn't taken her eyes off the picture, silver pools swirling with worry. Their cold features were too perfect, and at the same time, too mechanical to be from anywhere else.

"All I know is that they do have bit-beasts and they're from Russia. It **is** possible." Dizzy explained.

"This country is small, but keeps giving us big surprises, I see." Ray commented, as if reading everyone's thoughts.

"Hey, watch that mouth of yours! It's still **my** country!" the black haired girl crossed her arms over her chest, giving a look at the Chinese boy.

: Mistress... That strange presence Lord Dranzer and I told you about.. It isn't too far away from where we are at the moment. :

Iris looked up, locking eyes with deep mahogany ones, and then with light turquoise orbs. Their thoughts weren't very different from each other's. This wasn't a good sign. Not at all.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Night.

One would think it was the time when you let your subconscious take over and bring you into a new world, one of your own, with no problems, just you, peace and quiet, everything you can ever wish for.

Not quite.

At least, that innocence and ingenuousness were ripped away from her when she was six or so. All that was left was a shadow of her once excited and happy features, now a blank mask, not letting anything in or out.

And tonight...

Tonight was different, in the subconscious of her mind, her dreams. She was running, not even sure if she was walking on solid ground or not. Hearing voices, shouts and screams coming from everywhere, she finally found a door. Confused and scared, she acted like the only way she knew how.

"What the hell is this!" her clenched fist made contact with the door, opening it right away, much to her surprise. Once inside, she saw a little girl, dark hair gracing her pretty features, its tips red. She gasped. Herself. A couple of years before. And only then did she notice exactly where she was. In the room where Black Dranzer was kept; the chains all around the place left little doubts. Her younger self was looking at the bit chip longingly, which immediately put her warily and on guard. _'Something's not quite right on this picture...'_

She took a step back, "What's going on in here?" her voice died as a sudden black beam of light came from the beyblade, while the little girl seemed not even aware of it.

The beam slowly formed into a large and powerful-looking phoenix, a copy from Dranzer himself. After all, Black Dranzer **was** made from Dranzer. Black Dranzer was the dark side, Dranzer the light side, brothers of light and dark, and separated by Boris.

**: You will be mine, little one... :** the booming voice of the phoenix echoed through her mind, interrupting her thoughts and making her flinch from the sudden loudness of it, **: Dranzer gained young Master Kai back once more, but you... you are the perfect bearer for my power... I will possess you, as I've possessed Kai, but this time I will not let you go. :** the loudest screech until now was heard, reminding her of a maniacal laugh from a madman, the room swiftly changing into a dark alley, an alley that was sickening familiar to her, **: You will succumb to my will... Mistress. :  
**  
"No..." she whispered weakly, crying silent tears over the speech she was hearing, "NO! I will **not**! You cannot make me. And I'm **NOT** your mistress and I'll never will be! Lugiohan is everything that I can wish for and want. No more, no less. I don't need you. And neither did Kai! That was why he discarded himself of you!"

**: We shall see... :** the Dark moved its head to the side and there, to her shock, she saw her six year old self, hand-in-hand with her older sister. More tears were shed as the memories almost overcame her sanity, even if they were slightly distorted.

But instead of Boris appearing and coming forward, quickly shooting down Miranda, then knocking her out and taking her away, it was Black Dranzer who charged, digging his enormous talons into her sister's body, blood soaking everything in sight. Her younger self screamed while she herself, even after all the torture she went through and witnessed in the Abbey, did the same.

**: Do you remember what happened this day? I know you do... Clear as day, am I right:** the scene changed once again, into a dark room.

A sudden cruel laughter, followed by a quiet whimper made her look into a corner of the room. Squinting, she could barely make the outline of the white sheets and mattress. And into said mattress... Her eyes widened, frightened. Boris was on it, while underneath him, writhing in pain and shame was herself. It was the night when she ran away.

The man grunted lightly, as he pulled away from the panting girl. He got up, looking down at her in disgust. "That wouldn't be necessary if you hadn't pulled out that little stunt. Remember, bitch, it was all your fault. **Only** your entire fault."

The female closed her eyes tightly as she finally found strength to roll onto her back, closing her thighs from his hungry eyes, "You lie... It's not." The familiar sounds of her home language tingled on her tongue, comforting her briefly.

Ignoring what she said, since he really didn't understand very much of Portuguese, he simply smirked at her, "You are mine, do you hear? Mine.." his mocking voice whispered to her ear in the silence of the early dawn.

"Never!" she hissed between small gasps of air, trying to catch her breath. The five lettered word repeated over and over again in her head, long after he exited her small room. Hurt, humiliated, alone and cold, silent tears ran down her cheeks as her arms wrapped around her knees.

"NO! Stop this, just **stop it**!" the present Iris shook her head with vehemence, "Please... That's enough... I can't stand it any longer!" she fell to her knees, head between her hands. Her vision was blurry as the tears kept coming. Thick dark talons landed on the floor and into her field of vision.

**: Surrender to me... That is all you have to do, youngling. All will stop if you do. :  
**  
"Never!" she spat, glaring at him through the strands of her hair. She couldn't do that. Lugiohan was everything to her... All the power she wanted. _'After all I've been through, I won't leave her, not now, not ever! She never left me either, so why should I betray her like that?'_

The scenery changed yet again, as she found herself sitting on a chair, legs and arms bound tightly. Looking in front of her, her eyes widened. Another memory. Her four friends, the ones she considered her own family... Spence, Bry, Ian... and Yuriy. Being tortured and whipped, as they tried not to make a sound.

**: Do not forget, Mistress, these are your memories, your past. Yours alone... I am not making them. :  
**  
"Stop... Please... I can't stand this much longer..." her voice lowered to a soft whisper. Slowly, the four Demolition-Boys disappeared, and in their place, there were Max, Tyson, Ray and Kenny, also being tortured.

"NO!... Oh, Tyson, Chief... Max, Ray... No..." her eyes closed tightly, not wanting to see any of it.

Black Dranzer materialized out of the blue, coming to a stop right in front of her, **: Do you really want this to be happening: **His voice was dripping with so much sarcasm, one would think it was almost sympathetic.

She just shook her head negatively, eyes scared, big pools of water still on them, resembling those of a lost child. Boris suddenly appeared then, slapping her hard, and laughing at her pain.

Pain...

Misery...

Humiliation...

Then, everything was gone in a swirl of colours as she found herself back on that room, feeling like an intruder, watching as Kai talked to her after she had had that nightmare a few nights ago. And how he didn't fall asleep as she had first thought.

**: You do care for this boy, don't you... Iris:** The phoenix walked over to his bed. The present Iris didn't take her eyes off of him, glancing warily at the sight, not knowing what was going to happen next, not knowing what to do.

**: What would you do if this happened... :**

Her eyes were now wide, slowly starting to understand the true meaning behind his words, but refusing to believe them; a silent scream on her throat, the dread all over her now, adrenaline flowing through her veins at a fast speed, "No, please..." she fell to her knees, her soul in her eyes, too crumpled, too hurt, too frightful to even care about her composure in the least, "Anything but that... Don't do it... please, don't..." whispering those sentences over and over again in every language she knew, her voice failed her, as it cracked slightly.

**: Why do you fight it so, young one? Come to me... It will be easier for you. :  
**  
"No." still, she refused to give in, "You know I cannot do that... Please, just.. Leave him be."

The phoenix seemed to chuckle quietly, eerily, its eyes shinning with pure evil and malice, **: Human emotions. So pathetic. They only make you weak... But your spirit is not broken. Far from it, in fact. And that is why I want you. But... :** Black Dranzer turned to glance at her once more, **: If you're so sure you don't need me... :** he made his best impression of a smirk, one of his talons just inches away from Kai's back, **: THEN SUFFER MORE. :** the immense claws pierced his back, that pale flawless skin, blood immediately pouring and quickly spilling.

Iris couldn't find the strength to scream nor speak, too shocked. _'This isn't happening... It can't... It just can't!'  
_  
**: Yes, but someday it will, little one... I promise you that. :** and with that said, all began to crumble and spin in a haze of colours and feelings, until she felt herself suddenly gasp and swiftly sit upright, slowly catching her breath as her eyes focused on her surroundings. All around her, there was her team, along with Tala, looking at her almost expectantly. The two younger boys sighed in relief after a few seconds.

"She's awake! Yay, Iris awoke!"

"Yeah... She's alright... Man, you gave us quite a scare! Don't do that ever again!"

"You sure you okay? Shouldn't you lie down?" Tala's arm went around her waist as soon as she got up and almost lost her balance, too hot, too dizzy to even stand on her own.

"I'm fine, Wolf. Just fine. What happened?" she felt a bit confused. _'It seemed so real... So bloody real...' _And by the hoarseness of her voice, she had screamed for real. That had never happened before.

"You were screaming..." bright blue eyes showed slight concern, if one looked closely, as the redhead spoke slowly, as if she was a small child, "Probably having a nightmare. Repeating sentences over and over again in different languages-"

"I caught English, French, Japanese and Spanish, if I'm not mistaken." Tyson commented, grinning like a fool.

"It was probably Portuguese or Brazilian, for I doubt I'd speak Spanish. And I don't know much of Japanese, T. Anyway..." her red eyes moved to look at Tala again, waiting for him to continue. The dream had made her afraid, yes, but it had also angered her immensely.

"You woke us all up, even Tyson. We tried to wake you, but suddenly, you just woke up." Kai was looking at her with a strange look on his eyes. She was very shaken by what she experienced, that he could tell. He couldn't remember a time when he had felt this useless, this powerless, not knowing how to help her. Sighing silently, he walked over to the balcony, stepping out of the room. She was playing it off, he knew. Iris had been wounded, maybe not physically, but emotionally; something was bothering her greatly.

Soft padding footsteps took him out of his thoughts, as she let their shoulders brush slightly. He shivered lightly, feeling the sudden coldness of her skin, "Want to talk about it?"

"About what?" Or she was acting plain stupid, or she really was clueless.

"You know what I'm talking about. What the hell's wrong? What happened back there?" his head turned to look at her, eyes slightly narrowed, "What is it that you're hiding with such fervour? What are you not telling us?"

Her own orbs looked away from his, wanting, but stopping herself from telling him. She couldn't summon the courage to do so, "Your past is like your most sacred secrets... And secrets are like shadows... Haunting you down at every change they got as soon as the night falls." she moved to lean on the wall of the balcony, her arms around her shoulders, looking up at the full moon and the star-lit sky, shinning like small diamonds, "And the night... The night makes those shadows grow..."

Not really understanding the full meaning of her words, but knowing she wasn't ready to explain them, he put an arm around her waist, bringing her close to him, trying to make her feel secure and warm. _'I'll make them pay. I promise you. Whoever did this will pay dearly. Even if that's the last thing I do.'_

His silent vow made a certain Fire Phoenix shine on its bit chip, as Dranzer approved the decision of his young master.

: You will succeed, little one. And I will be there to support you. Me, your friends, and beloved one. :

* * *

...TBC...

**Thanks to:  
  
**dark Alley:** xD of course I had! It's so much fun that way (6) 'neeways, yes, the furball's here & will stay till the rest of the fic, I promise xD & thanks a lot 4 liking & reviewing again! **

Tenebrae Rosa:** xP well, wat can I say? I'm seriously having a big headache after passing so many days looking at the same thing & checking 4 spellings! I doubt I cud see one that was rite in front of me by now! & I did use the spelling check! Anyways, thnx 4 liking it & reviewing xD**

Silver Magix: **yes, that's rite, not the middle of the story yet, but things r certainly getting interesting ;) I like 2 keep my readers on the edge of their seats xD thank u very much 4 liking it & plz keep reviewing, if u still do**

dobieluver93: **aww, really:P thank u very much 4 saying that! U'r making me blush xD that review of urs made my day when I read it, honest ;) hope u liked this chap as much as I enjoyed reading ur review & leave another one while u'r at it, pretty plz:D & b happy, bcoz u'r one of the main reasons y I'm updating 3 chaps in a row this time**

hiwatarisaori: **hehe, like I use 2 say, good writers r the ones whom r capable of bringing out the emotions on the reader ;) not that I'm much of anything, that is xP & yes, that was one of my fav parts 2 write as well xD thank u 4 also enjoying it.  
****As 4 ur other review, yes, Iris has had quite a bad past. It's supposed 2 as well. But I'm very tragic xD Though I did cry when I wrote it. Not very usual of me, but I'm really into Iris's character, bcoz she's all I ever want 2 become, u kno? I relate 2 her a whole lot. & I very much thank u 4, in ur free time, reading this crap then & reviewing! xD These 3 chaps r also thinking of ya, girl ;) **

**Dark: 6 reviews, not bad. Thou I was hoping 4 more, I admit, since the previous chap had a lot of background info. But oh well. Hope these 3 will let loose ur fingers, ne? Plz review & till next Sunday.**


	7. The Shadowed Blades

**Dark: 7th chap. Enjoy & plz, review. Even if it's 3 in a row, plz b kind 2 take ur time & leave ur impression of each one of them. **

Summary/Disclaimer: check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6... The Shadowed Blades  
**

Beyblade's were quickly shot from every direction, grounding their attack rings, armed with sharp blades, into the lone black one, which wobbled a bit at the sudden attack.

"Go." A simple word, a simple order. Enough to make the black blade gain speed and increase its power, managing to destroy each and every opponent on the old stadium. After the slight dust had cleared, the only thing left was a bey-dish with its edges crumbling down and pieces of broken beyblade's everywhere, where only the black beyblade was spinning intensely in the centre of the devastation, perfectly undamaged.

The girl watched everything with pale lavender eyes, not as much as blinking. The blade returned to its mistress, an eerie dark glow shining from the bit chip, boosting her already pale features. "So much power... And it's all mine..." a vicious grin made its way to her rosy lips. Although, it did not reach her emotionless eyes by far.

**: Feel it, little one. You will never forget its taste... :** a brooding voice sounded in her mind, enticing her with the need to train more and more, to keep her senses sharp, not to separate from this source of power she had now found. To bend her at the Darkness' will.

"Yes..." the pale girl walked away, her four companions swiftly following as their respective beyblade's returned to their hands, the stadiums where they were battling similar to the female's. "I know."

"It is time..." one of them whispered, smirking.

"...For them..." the other one continued in the same tone, a similar smirk over his lips.

"...To know..." another one resumed.

"...The true meaning of power." the girl finished, looking at the dark top in her palm, "The traitors will pay... I promise. Today is the beginning of the end of the world as we know it."

"They won't even know what hit them..." the last male concluded as they chuckled, a cold sound resonating through the walls of the old warehouse they were training in.

**: But do not forget, younglings. Only if you defeat them... One by one. It is your mission. :**

"It's our mission." The five teens repeated almost mechanically, heading for the exit.

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The first beams of sunlight made their way to warm the skin of a pale young boy, who roused himself from the depths of his dreams, light turquoise eyes opening.

A few minutes later, he got out of the bathroom, now fully clothed to face another day, letting the slate-haired teen take his place in it.

"Hey, have you guys seen Iris? She isn't here..." Ray's voice echoed in the small room.

"And Tyson's not here either. That's odd..." Max drawled sleepily as he opened the door to the other bedroom.

Tala and Kai frowned immediately as soon as they both heard the amber-eyed boy. Iris was a girl with a wild attitude and a short temper and she loathed being locked in a room, but she would never get out or leave without telling anyone where she was. And Tyson... Well, he only got up if food was involved and the canteen hadn't called to their room to complain yet.

"How could you not notice she was gone? She sleeps in the bed beside you both!" Tala glared at Kai then at Ray, slight worry in his eyes. '_This isn't like her to do...'_

: It is okay, little one; Miss Blanchett is outside. And Tyson is with her. : Wolborg's statement put a stop to the variety of thoughts the red-head was having, a relieved feeling washing over him almost instantly.

"Outside. Then, I suppose there's no problem."

Sometime after, the rest of the gang stepped outside, and on the big garden at the back of the hotel, they found their missing members were.. training. Or better saying, the female part of the team was scolding Tyson's attack and lame defence, as she put it.

"...attack you leave an open space, which knocks your weak defence! Don't you remember what Max did when he wan? You may be the World Champion, but if you aren't careful you will lose in no time!" even if her voice was angered, Iris had the normal Kai-stance, crossed arms, confident stare and legs slightly apart.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I already heard that one hundred times!"

"You don't seem to be paying attention then, if I keep repeating myself."

"Wow, how the heck could you put Tyson training this early?" Ray snickered. "And without food?"

"Knock it off, will ya? And I did have breakfast. Only half of it, but if I train hard, she says she'll let me continue it. So, I've got no time to lose." Tyson replied hurriedly as the others made an anime-fall. A heated battle was ranging between him and Iris.

The girl was still in the relaxed pose, not in the least worried; her hair, normally on a pony tail, tumbled down her back almost till her hips as it was wet and heavier, the red tips darker than normal, leading to the conclusion that she had taken a shower before. "Yesterday, I said his training would be longer and harder. So, here I am. He didn't want to at first, but..." she smirked, side glancing at them briefly, "A girl works her magic, et voilá."

"HA, now you let your guard down and I'm going to defeat you!" Tyson suddenly grinned, bringing everyone's stare back to watch the combat intently. His confidence had returned once more, his tiredness now forgotten.

Dragoon actually seemed able to knock Lugiohan out of the dish for a moment, but at the last second, she managed to evade his move, much to his frustration.

"You wish..." Iris hissed mockingly, smirking, aiming to enrage Tyson. Rage... It could be fatal to the battle, but in controlled tantrums, it could gain you an easy victory. '_And that's what I want you to do, Tyson...'_

Tyson growled quietly at the back of his throat, '_She's good, has a great stamina... Trying to tire her out will only weaken me. She's faster and lighter than me, so I won't even manage a clash at her side good enough to shove her off... Hmm, what could I do then? What's her weakness? Hang on! When I battled Kai... I only managed to win when I sent Dranzer flying.. So maybe, since her style is like Kai's, that may work...'_ "Dragoon!" the dragon soon made his appearance, as powerful as ever, looking at his master, who nodded. Dragoon and Tyson didn't have a bond strong enough to speak with each other, (excluding the time in the World's) but the dragon understood his young blader's plan. "Now Dragoon! Attack her as fast as you can before she escapes!"

"Ah no, that won't catch me. Lugiohan!" despite being battling him, Iris smiled to herself; '_He's finally starting to use his brain... About time too. Good one, Tyson, but still not good enough to defeat me.'_ Her bit beast rose, looking calmly at her opponent, as Dragoon narrowly missed her once more.

"Keep that up, Dragoon, it's the only way. Last time was close, c'mon, keep trying!"

'_Yeah, that's it Tyson; insistence and hope is what drives you forward...But never drop your defence; it's the key to victory.'_ "Steady, Lugiohan." Once more the black blade evaded the white one almost effortlessly.

'_One more time, Dragoon, I know we can do this!'_ "C'mon, Dragoon, faster!" Dragoon roared once before charging against his opponent. And this time, he managed a strong blow to Lugiohan's side, powerful enough to also send him off the dish, and back to Tyson's palm. A tie. "So..." The younger boy turned to look at her, after checking if his beyblade was damaged, "That good or what?"

"You're slightly better, faster and your technique is more strategic. That's all I'm saying." Iris turned her back on them, going through the exit of the hotel afterwards, "See you later!"

Occupied with training as the rest of the gang was, no one saw the pale eyes spying on them or the way their owner easily descended the tree she was in, to jump over the wall easily and follow her.

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: Where are you heading, Mistress. :

'_To train by myself... In the Old Meadow, remember? And if Kai or Tala are worried, Dranzer and Wolborg can pick up your presence, right?'  
_  
: Correct, Mistress. :

Swift legs carried the young girl through old paths, so known to her when she was a child. They carried her until she reached a rusty looking old gate, locked by thick iron chains. Iris climbed the tree that was beside the gate graciously and easily passed the fence to the other side, where a big meadow was located. The residence belonged to an old rich family, which passed this land to their children. Since the last generation went to live in France, no one entered here beside the gardener that took great care of this piece of paradise. And who was she to waste it?

Enormous trees were everywhere, pine-trees, stone pines, weeping-willows, chestnut-trees and much more which she didn't bother to remember the names of. Small flower beds here and there and in the centre of this paddock, a crystalline lake shined like a mirror as the beams of the early morning found it. Birds chirping, squirrels everywhere, even one or two foxes, the nature at its best.

Beside the lake, a tree had been cut; rumours said that the owners thought it was too close to the lake. She didn't particularly care. Ever since she had learned how to spin a blade, this was her improvised bey-stadium. The inside of the trunk was slightly oval, Lugiohan having spun there for countless hours and because of that, it also was very smooth.

She smiled softly at the happy memories, long before Boris had taken her. Lugiohan was released swiftly. The first part of her morning was passed this way, no problems, no stupid dreams scaring the hell out of her... only in the company of her bit beast and the nature.

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Suddenly, as Ray launched Drigger, a pale blue beyblade shot out from nowhere, ramming into the grey blade's side and sending Drigger back to his owner's hand.

"Who's there?" Kai's cold voice sounded, as he glanced up at his right, Tala soon doing the same. A male frame jumped down from the roof, securing on a tree's branch and falling gracefully on his feet near them right after. The pale blade quickly moved to continue spinning calmly near his feet. Three other boys jumped down to stand beside the former, doing almost the exact same thing.

All of them had four things in common: black emotionless eyes, their launchers ready, the same black uniform and a smirk on their faces. The first one was a bit short, light brown hair and seemed to be the most playful or maybe the most rebel. The tallest had spiky black hair, a well-built body and emanated confidence... probably the leader. The other two were twins, like two droplets of water. Locks of white blond hair striking over charcoal deep hues, their faces a mask of carelessness.

"Hey... You're those guys, the Shadowed Blades!" Tyson pointed a finger at them, his stance now a bit unfriendly, not letting go of his launcher, a frown gracing his normally cheerful features. The bit chip of his beyblade shinned in response of his reaction.

"Oh, so you're not as stupid as we were told.." the short boy snickered at him, and by his accent he should be also Portuguese, like Iris, "My name is Pedro."

"I'm Kyo and he's Kyu." One of the twins said, tilting his head to the side and motioning the other.

"And I'm Chad. Now that this is done and over with, we defy you for a battle." The leader walked to the bey-stadium, eyes looking at everyone until he stopped on Kai, "And I enjoy taking down the traitors... Right, Hiwatari?"

"Your way of thinking does not interest us. Leave." Tala's eyes grew even colder, not looking at the boys, searching. Where was she? "And we battle on the stadium."

'_Where is the brat?'_ Kai's frown deepened, _'Something's not quite right...'_, "Shut up... Chad, is it? I'll take you down on the tournament, don't worry. Don't be so eager to lose. Where's Bryan's sister?"

"Around. But that doesn't concern you. However, this does. Look out, Ray!" Kyo launched his beyblade, managing a cut to Ray's arm, much to the Chinese boy's surprise.

"Hey, keep the cheating to yourself! If you want to combat, you're on!" Max readied Draciel, sending him spinning into the dish, where Kyu's blade soon followed.

Chad sent his beyblade towards Kai, who dodged it almost effortlessly. He ran to the exit, quickly followed by the larger and taller boy. One on each side of the streets, they continued, their blades grinding together, sending sparks all over the place.

Back to Max's combat, Draciel was doing well. Even if Kyu's attack was at full-force, Draciel kept his ground steadily, knocking him out of the stadium, going back to Max's outstretched hand. As soon as the battle ended, Kyo sent his own top, as Ray launched Drigger. Drigger gave his best, but Kyo was helplessly faster. After one more failed attempt of his Tiger Claw, Kyo knocked him out of the dish.

"So... Seems it's just you and me, eh Tyson?" Pedro grinned at him, launcher in hand, simply circling the stadium, as Tyson did the same, keeping the distance between them the same. He soon let his blade loose, aiming to the building's wall instead of the dish. The blade made a deep cut on it before moving to spin on the same spot right in the centre of the bey-dish, Dragoon following swiftly.

However, it ended before it even started. The pale blue beyblade disappeared before their very eyes, reappearing right behind the white one, sending him against the closest wall with a short, but harsh clash to his side, not giving any chance to the navy-haired boy.

"No! Dragoon!" Tyson knelt beside the destroyed beyblade. Pieces of the once mighty dragon were everywhere, even if the bit chip was intact, Dragoon shinning indignantly on its centre. "Don't worry... This isn't over; far from it. That I promise you. We'll defeat him."

His opponent snorted lightly, "Don't make promises you aren't capable of fulfilling..." picking up the blue top, he headed towards the exit. Only when the three boys walked away did the rest of the gang realized that both the captains were missing.

"Where did they go?"

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Chad didn't seem to want to stop running. Kai was only following, even if the initial idea of getting out of the hotel was his. He hadn't done it to escape; he simply did it to avoid hurting the others. This guy didn't really inspire a good sense of sport on him and calmness in his battles, quite the contrary.

Said boy suddenly entered a seemingly abandoned house, passing through the front door, which was open. He followed. With a quick glance over the room, he easily detected a small camera in one corner, near the ceiling.

'_Dranzer, before anything, destroy that camera. They must want to record our technique and moves.'  
_  
: Understood, Kai. :

As he was evading the other top, Dranzer took his chance, quickly moving up the wall, going straight to the cables there connected, destroying them while escaping the electricity-spiting cables. Right after that, Chad's top smashed against the phoenix's, backing him up to the wall.

Suddenly leaving Dranzer, the other blade advanced towards Kai. The slate haired teen dodged it, falling to the wooden floor in the process. The sudden pain in his ankle was forgotten in the adrenaline of the battle.

Frowning and speaking in a language he didn't understand, the other boy called back the beyblade, catching it in his hand.

"What do you think you're doing? We're not finished."

"Yes, we are, Hiwatari." Chad glanced over his shoulder as he spoke, "For now. To defeat you and your excuse of a bit beast, it'll be in front of a big crowd, for everyone to see and know just how good you are." Smirking, he let himself fall out of the window as Dranzer missed him by a hairsbreadth, cutting some strands of his black mane. No doubt if he hadn't, Chad wouldn't have fulfilled his promise. '_Not that he will, that is.'_

As Kai reached the window with some difficulty, the other male was already gone; all that was left was his footprints. The crimson-eyed teen jumped down the same window since it was just on the first floor, gingerly. The pain from before returned while his mind finally realised he had gotten himself a twisted ankle. Looking up suddenly, he saw a black beam of light right in front of him, pointing skyward.

Not knowing what it was, but not liking it, he ran into its direction, worry slowly appearing at the back of his mind. Something was not right...

: Master, Iris and Lady Lugiohan are battling. :

And Dranzer had just clarified that for him. And who was the one missing?

_'Bryan's younger sister... Sarabela.'_

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Oblivious of what was happening to the rest of her team, Iris kept training.

She was leaning against a tree comfortably, eyes closed. She and Lugiohan had created their new attack, Seeker Spirit, and were now doing a few adjustments to it. It was slightly different from her normal style, but effective nevertheless.

Everything was silent, saving the relaxing sound of her beyblade spinning and the wild life around her. Till another blade suddenly crashed on hers. Lugiohan moved quickly, into Iris' palm. Pulling off the tree, she adopted a hostile pose, "Who's there?" the calmness she felt before was gone in the blink of an eye, her voice silky, but cold. "Show yourself."

A blur of black suddenly appeared, picking up the other black blade. The very light, almost white hair, brushed her shoulders, some locks gracing her features, making her look angelic. But pallid lips were twisted into a mocking sneer and her once soft lavender eyes looked at her with taunting disrespect, "Long time no see, eh Blanchett?"

"And what exactly is wrong with you, Sarabela Kuznetsov?" the black haired girl took a step back, arms crossing over her chest. The girl in front of her wasn't the old friend she once knew. Something had changed in her and not for the best either... '_Why is she smirking like that?'_

"Things change... old friend." The eerie chuckle that followed chilled her to the bones, "What do you say of a battle? It has been so long... I missed battling you. Or are you too afraid to even move?" the blade she was holding didn't left any doubts. '_Black Dranzer...'_

"I'm not afraid, and I never back down from a challenge. Neither does Lugiohan." Iris went into position, Lugiohan shinning reassuringly in the bit chip.

With no previous warning, both black tops were released, starting to circle each other in opposite ways, occasionally clashing. Until Black Dranzer changed direction and attacked Lugiohan's weight disk head-on, making it crack a bit under the sudden pressure.

"C'mon, where's your spirit?" Sarabela smiled softly. However, her eyes were as cold as ice, "My bit-beast wants to play... Where's the ruthless Iris we all know and hate? You were a worthy opponent, excellent in fact. So, why are you stupidly holding back now?"

Iris growled low in her throat, "I don't want to fight you..."

The other girl rolled her eyes at that, "Has being with the Bladesuckers turned you **that** soft? Give me a break! I don't want an easy victory. That was the main reason why I chose to battle you in the first place."

"Beyblading is not all about winning. It's about team-work, trust between blader and bit-beast, friendship and loyalty. You knew that. **I** was the one who taught that to you. What did that abomination did to you? Don't you remember anything? Are you that blind that you can only see the dark power he can give you for now?" Iris motioned to the opposite beyblade, whilst it gave a black, almost longing gleam in response. "Do you think he gives a damn about you!"

Her face reflected confusion for a brief moment, before she gasped, shutting her eyes tightly and opening them again, anger blazing in them, "I don't care what you think! Black Dranzer is everything that I need, that I want! Every other bit-beast is useless!"

"You know that's not true." '_She seems possessed or something... What did you do, Black Dranzer?'_ "Snap out of it, Kuznetsov!"

A black aura surrounded the younger girl, the dark phoenix appearing in a flash of black light and a powerful screech, a black beam of pure raw energy shooting up to the heavens.

'_I don't want this... It's wrong... wrong!' _After receiving a light collision to her side, Lugiohan shot into Iris' hand again at her order. She couldn't believe it... Her friend was simply... gone... Prisoner of Black Dranzer's power.

Looking over at her with disdain for not giving much of a fight, Sarabela rolled her eyes once more, "Why would I want to, Blanchett? Oh well, never mind that. Bye, see you in the finals. If you get there, that is..." She walked away, snickering to herself, stepping out of sight between the thick trees.

: Iris, are you ok:

'_Yes... Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry. You?'  
_  
: I'm fine. Lord Black Dranzer barely touched me. : The hatred at having to call him 'Lord' was noticeable. Just then, she had that feeling you get when someone is watching you. Slowly turning around, fearing Sarabela was back, she met two mahogany hues instead. Relief washed over her being, as she smiled ever so softly. "How did you find me?"

Kai slowly walked up to her, ignoring her first question, "You battled her, didn't you." More like a statement than a question.

"I didn't want to..." her eyes lowered immediately, "But she gave me no choice. What happened to the others?"

"Those Shadowed Blades appeared some minutes after you left. And I think that Kuznetsov followed you from there. Their captain challenged me and brought me into that house." He motioned to the abandoned mansion behind them, "As for the others, I'm not sure what happened."

"We better go check it out then. Did you win?" they started walking at a slow pace, since Kai's ankle was giving him a hard time.

"He called his beyblade back before we finished. Guess all he wanted was statistics on me; that house had a camera installed. You?"

"Lost. I wasn't concentrating in the first place. My spirit wasn't on the battle." Kai didn't fail to notice the slight bitterness her voice.

"You knew her, didn't you?"

"She started beyblading by my influence. I taught her most of the things. And from then on, she was always after me, wanting to learn more. It **is** something to gape at. I never thought this could happen.." Her eyes hardened ever so slightly.

They finally arrived to the hotel, passing over some remnants of the once shiny stadium and into their hotel room where everyone wanted to know what had happened to them.

"Will you guys just SHUT **IT**!" Iris hissed out quietly, but far from friendly. That made Max and Tyson shut up right away, something that she and only a few other people had the capacity of doing. "We battled. Nothing more, nothing less. Kai got himself a twisted ankle. Is that so stupidly interesting?"

Once she had given Kai some ice for him to apply to his ankle, Iris sat beside him, eyes slowly glazing over. "You ok?"

"I only need some rest. I'll be fine." By the sound of his voice, he seemed slightly annoyed.

"Sleep will do you some good. Why don't you take a small nap?"

Kai rolled his eyes, "Yeah right. We need to train."

"Pff, no way. We had enough with beyblading today. Besides, tomorrow the combat will be easy. The team is amateur." She crossed her arms, smirking at him in a superior way while she loudly said the news, "Today there will be no training." Followed by Tyson's high-five with Max and the turning on the PlayStation2 in their room.

"Just keep it low." Kai pulled the covers over him, sighing softly. He fell asleep in no time, failing to hear the quiet click of the door.

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It was still quite early, eleven o'clock in the morning, and the day was warm and nice.

So, as the silver-eyed girl walked down the main market in the whole city, she decided to pass by the hotel where the White Tigers were. They would be there until the end of the tournament, as they were one of the two teams of honour, along with the Majestic's.

She was wearing a long feet-length black skirt, slightly heeled sandals and a light pink sleeveless shirt. A cap of the local football team finished her attire. Her hair was high and in a simple ponytail, and her usual black triangles were removed.

She had waited until Kai was asleep. Then, she had gotten out. Right now, alone with her thoughts, Iris did admit she was a bit unfair, but then again, her captain would only think of what she had come to do as a silly girly thing. _'It's better if he sleeps away and lets me do my thing. Besides, if I told him I wanted to stroll around the Unconquered City_ (Porto is known for not letting the French Invasions invade it, history business), _he'd surely follow me.'_ Yup, he'll be better off being blissfully unaware.

Luck seemed to be on her side today. When she looked up to the hotel, she saw Mariah coming out of the gates of the building. She hurriedly caught up with her. "Hey, hey, hey!"

The pink haired girl turned to her, slightly surprised, but happy nevertheless, "Oh hi, Iris. What's up?"

Iris smiled softly, '_Hope she doesn't suspect anything...'_ "The sky... Well, I'm just walking around. You?"

"Same here. Still on the tournament?"

"And leaving damage!" she winked, "Wanna come along with me? I was heading to the river."

"Sure. I didn't see it yet. I still don't know my way around this city. Too big." Mariah giggled.

"It's not, really. But it **does** have too many alleys and stuff. But I'll show you." Walking around and chattering about this and that, the two females reached the mouth of the river, the sun over it making it shine brightly and beautifully.

Mariah's amber eyes shone with innocence, an innocence the black haired girl had lost long ago, "It's gorgeous! Aww, why didn't I bring my swimsuit..." she let out quietly, as if afraid of destroying the view if she spoke any louder. "It's a beautiful view! Thank you for showing it to me."

"It was nothing. I wanted to come here in the first place, remember? No big deal about it." Iris waved a hand dismissively, "By the way, do you like Lee?" she knew that was a BIG lie, since they were brothers, but this way, she could find out what she wanted. '_If I'm lucky, that is.'_

The other almost fell over, "Kami, no! He's my brother!" a blush crept to her tanned cheeks.

"Oh, so sorry. So..." Iris continued, smiling innocently, "Who do you like then? That gleam in your eyes can only mean one thing."

Mariah looked like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar, "Err... Well, I... Umm, I-I don't like anyone..."

Silver eyes lit in amusement, "I don't kiss and tell, ya know. You can trust me."

She sighed, "Meh... Fine. I know I'm obvious... I like Ray. There, I said it!"

"Was it that hard?" when she glanced at her, Mariah was already on her way. And by the way her shoulders were lifted and her slightly tense pose, Iris could swear she looked like a human tomato right now. She giggled to herself.

: So, your suspicions are correct, Mistress. What do you plan on doing now:

'_We'll see, my friend. And we'll wait.'_ Iris smiled one last time before going back to the hotel, and into their room. Looking around it, she was relieved to find that Kai was still sleeping lightly, the younger ones barely noticed her abstinence and Tala was out, somewhere.

She let herself sit heavily on the couch, placing her legs on it too, on top of Tyson's, much to the latter's annoyance. She got her chance, taking the remote from him (he was waving it, accusingly pointing it at her) and flipping through some channels, where she finally stopped on MTV, which was passing a video from the Portuguese band Da Weasel, "Força".

"Hey Iris! I was watching Wrestling!"

"Ah, shut it, Tyson! It's not as if you don't know what will happen. A guy will lose, and the winner will be considered strong." Ignoring his complains and not even noticing him getting up, Iris soon found she couldn't help but put the volume slightly louder and singing to the music. It was in Portuguese anyway, no one would understand what she was saying.

"Tás a sentir  
Uma página de história,  
Um pedaço da tua glória  
Que vai passar breve memória.

Tamos no pico do Verão, mas chove  
Por todo o lado,  
Levo uma de cada  
Já tou bem aviado.

Cuspo directo no caderno,  
Rimas saídas do inferno  
Que passei à tua pala  
Num tempo que pareceu eterno.

Tou de cara lavada,  
Tenho a casa arrumada  
Lembrança apagada  
Duma vida quase lixada.

Passeio na praia  
Atacado pelos clones..  
São tantos iguais  
Sem contar com os silicones.

Olho para o céu,  
Mas toda a gente foi de férias.  
Apetece-me gritar,  
Até rebentar as artérias."

Kai awoke to the not so soft sound of a music of some sort, chanted by a guy and a girl. The voice of the girl though seemed oddly familiar, and, as he roused himself from the warmth of his bed (being reminded of his sore ankle as he got up), the female voice was definitely closer than the male's.

His feet padded softly and lightly towards the room where the sound came from. Peeking around the door frame of the living room, he simply quirked an amused eyebrow at seeing Iris sprawled on the couch, unaware of an audience, and singing along the song in a quick language. He couldn't understand even a word, but the fastness she sang made sure she knew the lyrics extremely well. '_Must be in Portuguese.'_

"Respiro fundo...  
E lembro-me da força.  
Guardo dentro do meu corpo..  
Espero que ela ouça.

Todo o amor deste mundo,  
Perdido num segundo,  
Todo o riso transformado  
Num olhar apagado

Toda a fúria de viver  
Afastada do meu ser.  
Até que um dia acordei  
E vi que estava a perder.

Toda a força que cresceu,  
Na vida que Deus me deu  
Dá vontade de gritar bem alto:  
"O MEU AMOR MORREU"

Todo o mundo há-de ouvir,  
Todo o mundo há-de sentir,  
Tenho a força de mil homens  
Para o que há de vir!"

The beat had an interesting rhythm to it, and Kai found himself liking it. Knowing she didn't see him yet, he let his shoulder lean against the door frame casually. The subject of the song should be serious, since her expression was pensive, almost solemn.

"Flashback instantâneo,  
Prazer momentâneo,  
Penso e digo até  
Que bate duro  
No meu crânio.

Toda a dor,  
Toda a raiva,  
Todo o ciúme,  
Toda a luta,  
Toda a mágoa e pesar.  
Toda a lágrima enxuta,

Odiando como posso,  
Não posso encher a cabeça  
Não há dinheiro  
Nem vontade  
Ou amor que o mereça,

Não vou pensar de novo,  
Vou-me pôr novo.  
Neste dia novo  
Estreio um coração novo.

Visto-me de branco,  
Bem alegre no meu luto  
Saio para a rua  
Mais contente que um puto.

Acredita que custou,  
Mas finalmente passou.  
No final do dia  
Foi só isto que restou.

Respiro fundo...  
E lembro-me da força.  
Guardo dentro do meu corpo..  
Espero que ela ouça.

Todo o amor deste mundo,  
Perdido num segundo,  
Todo o riso transformado  
Num olhar apagado

Toda a fúria de viver  
Afastada do meu ser.  
Até que um dia acordei  
E vi que estava a perder.

Toda a força que cresceu,  
Na vida que deus me deu  
A vontade de gritar bem alto:  
"O meu amor morreu"

Todo o mundo há-de ouvir,  
Todo o mundo há-de sentir,  
Tenho a força de mil homens  
Para o que há de vir  
Vai haver um outro alguém  
Que me ame e trate bem.  
Vai haver um outro alguém  
Que me ouça também.  
Vai haver um outro alguém  
Que faça valer a pena,  
Vai haver um outro alguém  
Que me cante este poema…"

The video clip ended and commercials started to appear on the screen. Iris sighed quietly. Força. 'Strength', it meant. The band had used a few situations, and called to their inner strength to help them out. In that, she completely agreed. A soft whistle sounded then. Her head whipped to the side, looking at the door and finally noticing the slate haired teen there. "What was that for?"

"I didn't know you knew how to sing. That was rap, am I right?" he moved to rest his elbows on the back of the couch, looming over her.

She gave a soft nod, "Hu huh. I don't like rap all that much, but I do like the themes that that band uses to their songs. So, I also like their songs."

"I see." He easily jumped over the couch, sitting beside her on the couch.

"How's your ankle?" she did the same she did to Tyson, her legs now over Kai's. He made no move to shove them off him.

"Better. Slightly." His eyes glanced back to her face, their eyes locking. A fine dark eyebrow rose in question. Bracing himself with one arm, he leaned forward. "But it will be even better if you allow me to have one kiss, I'm sure."

She rolled her eyes at that, "Only one, huh..." she trailed off as his lips hovered over hers mere inches away. Her eyes closed on their own. And as odd as it sounded, she was not afraid. Not with him.

"One is the least." He lowered his head the rest of the way, capturing her lips in his in a gentle kiss. Parting for a split second and kissing her again. His hands tangled in her long hair, fisting once in a while, but not enough to hurt her. Never to hurt her.

Her hands ran over his shirt-clad back, clawing lightly, as a strange heat started in her abdomen. It was unfamiliar, strange, but in a good way. Pleasant. A soft moan escaped her throat, muffled by their kiss and lost in his lips.

Said lips left hers, running along her jaw. A gasp was his response as he licked her pulse. Those same pale lips returned to hers once more, his tongue slipping inside to sweep over white teeth. They finally parted for the much needed oxygen. Right then, the sound of a door knob being turned reached their ears.

They hurriedly separated, Kai sitting back and quickly bringing Iris with him as well. The sight that greeted our favourite red-head was one of the stranger ones. The teens on the couch were quite close, too close for one not to be suspicious, their cheeks were lightly flushed and they were glaring at him. '_Okay, so I interrupted them for sure...'_ That made him smirk smugly, "Don't mind me, lovers, I didn't see anything."

The female actually smirked back, which made Tala frown. That couldn't be a good sign. "Do not worry, my friend. I'll just go get Rosemary and tell her that you love her. IF you tell anyone about this, that is. So... what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

His eyebrows narrowed, a pale blush appearing over his cheeks, "Don't. You. Dare."

"And why not? Afraid of a girl?"

Tala immediately huffed, "No! It's just that... I.. don't like... speaking of that... openly." He mumbled, turning away and heading for the kitchen.

Leaving a couple with two identical smirks upon their lips. They looked at each other conspiratorially.

"Blackmail sure is a pain in the ass."

"You can say that again."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

In the next day, after an easy win with an amateur team, and after a very good lunch, the BladeBreakers made their way to the stands of the afternoon combat, the Shadowed Blades versus Les Danseurs.

Chad, the captain, was the first to combat against a little girl named Valerie. They changed a few words and crouched into their launching poses. It was a quick battle.

"Vincere, finish this. Now." Chad crossed his arms, looking utterly bored, as the French girl fumed in anger. She cursed a few words in her native tongue and shouted at her top to attack, but it was no use. Her eyes widened in terror as that reality became clearer each second that passed.

Chad's beyblade was spinning in the centre of the dish and seemed like it wasn't even feeling the blows the other one sent at it. Suddenly, an eerie dark red light emanated from it, its speed increasing rapidly, until it left the circle it was making and gave a powerful jab at the opponent's blade.

In practically melted pieces, Valerie cradled her destroyed blade close to her heart, tears streaming down her face. Her five other team-mates carried her away, arms around her shoulders, each sending Chad a dirty glare, the next worse than the last, as he calmly made his way to his team's bench.

"But that's just sick!" Tyson almost shouted, voicing everyone's thoughts, "How DARE he? Look at her... Poor kid. Probably won't even watch another battle as long as she lives! The guy may be stronger, but that doesn't mean he needed to... to annihilate her beyblade or something like that!"

"I agree." Max frowned, eyes softening as he looked at the now sobbing girl. "That's just cowardice."

"He's superior and she's just an amateur, but that's just pure evil. And wanting to destroy her." Ray crossed his arms and legs, leaning back on his seat, closing his eyes in frustration at the sight. Not a pretty one in any way you looked at it. Kenny just nodded, furiously typing on Dizzy.

"Hey Chief, slow down! That hurts, ya know?" the trapped bit beast complained as her user literally punched her keyboard.

"Sorry..."

Kai, Tala and Iris just watched solemnly the scenery, not uttering a word. How many times had they seen the same thing happening again? Countless. The weaker competitors were always used as punching bags to help the stronger get even more powerful. It was wrong, but it also was a reality they all lived in unfortunately.

"Bastard. He should be ashamed of himself." Iris whispered to herself, looking away in disgust, while she uncrossed and crossed her legs once again. Kai glanced at her briefly. She hadn't stopped squirming ever since the combat started. He would ask her what was wrong, but Tala beat him to it.

"And what exactly is bugging you, little one? That's turning out to be quite annoying, as you can guess." the redhead motioned to her legs as she yet again crossed and uncrossed them.

"I dunno, Yuriy... Something's making me uneasy, I guess. I feel like I'm being watched..." she closed her eyes, sighing softly. Tala locked his gaze with Kai's and both had a small idea of what could be the matter. Maybe that sick-minded crazy lunatic Boris was on the prowl, watching them. Maybe. All attention was needed. If he did catch her... Who knew what would happen then.

It was Sarabela's turn now. And pretty much the same, switching the name Vincere to Black Dranzer. No emotion to read in her light eyes, just an 'I'm good, and I know it' gleam shinned in those hues, aside from the strange dullness Iris had noticed when they had battled. Like the White Tigers had said, they were cold and they were quick. The two remaining combats were much like the previous ones, and half through the last, the seven friends came out, incapable of seeing the carnage for a second longer.

Everything so perfect, so cold... So emotionless.

...TBC...


	8. Waiting for the beginning

**Dark: & 8th & final chap. Hope u liked them all. Review plz. **

Summary/Disclaimer: check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**  
Chapter 7... Waiting for the beginning  
**

Seven teenagers woke up with the sound of fireworks, several screams filling their hotel room because of that.

"Wha...! Who? When? How..? OUCH!" Tyson fell over the bed, smacking his forehead on the floor, his feet dangling in the air.

"Mmmm... Who had the freaking idea of putting firework at... urgh, 7.30am!" Max's voice sounded as his arm came from under the covers, taking the watch that was on the floor with him. The device soon fell to the ground again as the blonde tangled himself in his blankets once more. "I wanna sleep!"

Kenny yawned, scratching his head slightly, "I agree with that..."

...In the other room...  
"The only day that we actually slept a bit more than usual is when someone has the EXCELLENT idea of putting firework! Arrgh!" came the Chinese opinion as Ray placed the fluffy pillows over his sensitive ears. The damn noise had just started to get louder.

"For once, I agree with Max." Kai mumbled as he took a long breath, still with his eyes closed, just turning from his sideways position to be flat on his back. A few moments later, he felt his bed give in to additional weight and one maroon hue cracked open, just to see a feminine form slipping in between the sheets beside him, "You know what all that racket is for?"

"Nation's day. 10th June. Annoying, yes, but usual." Iris snuggled close to him for warmth; the weather was foggy and cold once more, "Later there will be a party that will last almost all night long..."

"And how exactly do they think we are going to sleep? With giant ear-muffs over our ears?"

Icy silver and emotionless mahogany orbs snapped open at the strange voice, sitting up, and noting for the first time the red-head leaning casually against the door frame. A little smirk and a mischievous glint told the couple the tell-tale peace-treat 'you don't speak, I won't too'.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"Who will I fight today, Chief?" Iris said disinterestedly, eyelashes dropping as drowsiness took its hold on her. The team was eating breakfast, or better saying, **they** were, for she was just drinking a cup of milk, ignoring the plate of food she had brought while Tyson literally drooled over it. Finally she gave the item over to the navy-eyed boy and his bottomless stomach, rolling her eyes.

Kenny opened Dizzy, typing lightly on the keyboard, "You're going to battle in the pairs only, along with Kai. Your opponents will be Robert and Enrique. Oh yeah, I did this especially for Lugiohan last night. Hope you like the modifications, I did my best." Kenny showed them a shinny black attack ring, menacing looking. Iris passed him her blade, as usual without her bit-beast; Lugiohan's bit was in her necklace every time she wasn't battling.

Replacing the former for the new one, Chief gave it back to her, while she examined it closely, everyone checking it out also, some more discreetly, some enviously.

"WHY YOU TRAITOR!" Tyson pouted, kicking Kenny not so gently on the shin, "And Dragoon, huh? Doesn't HE need an upgrade too!"

"Uh, Tyson?" Ray lifted an eyebrow, patting Chief's back as he cradled his sore leg, "He had it two days ago... remember?"

"Oh." Tyson exclaimed, "You're right! I forgot..." a hand scratched his nape sheepishly.

"What else is new.."

Everyone ignored the naïve boy and continued on their business.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"WELCOME, YOU CRAZY BEYBLADE FANS! NOW, THESE TWO TEAMS HAVE ALREADY FOUGHT, BUT NOW I'M SURE THEY'RE BETTER! I PRESENT YOU THE ACTUAL CHAMPIONS AGAINST THE EUROPEAN ONES, THE MAJESTIC'S!"

"There's a coffee called Majestic in this city." Iris snickered at the name of their rivals. "I dunno any other place where the 'garçons' are so snob."

As Tala snickered along with her, Kai sent her a sideways glance, "Don't underestimate them. They're strong. I've seen worse, but they are worth our time."

The first combat was Robert against Tyson, and then Kai versus Johnny. The pairs were Enrique and Robert with Kai and Iris, then Ray and Max against Rosemary and Oliver.

The purple haired German leader looked over his team, finally stopping on a certain red-head, who hadn't taken his eyes off his opponent ever since they got here. "Jonathan."

The Scottish's soft lavender hues turned to the former boy, a disdainful sneer on his lips, "**Don't** call me that."

Robert rolled his eyes, not knowing how his 'team-mate' was so darn uncouth, when his family was one of the finest he knew about (a/n:. typical Robbie...), "Whatever. Concentrate. I know Kai is your rival, and yes, I also know he defeated you while an enormous multitude was assisting, but don't let those '_distractions'_ get in your way."

"AAAAAAAAND THAT THE FIRST ROUND BEGIN!"

Gryffolyon attacked as soon as he hit the dish, sending Dragoon to its edge but not off of it, as Tyson breathed out in relief. The first round ended with a deserved tie but in the other two Tyson exceeded every expectation and wan, earning him a high-five from Iris and even a "You did well." from Kai.

After that, Johnny stood proud in one side of the stadium, looking haughtily over at Kai. "Any last words, Hiwatari?" he narrowed his eyes, frown in place. Only God knew how much he hated the bluenette! '_Thinks he's the best, huh? He didn't have that expression the first time we fought...'  
_  
Kai crouched into his launching pose, ignoring him for the time being. Deep cinnamon eyes locked with anger-lit light lavender ones, their respective bit-beasts shinning with anticipation and power.

"3..."

"You and your chicken are going down, Kai!"

"2..."

"You wish, McGregor..."

"1!..."

"LET IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPP!" all stadium chorused along with DJ Jazzman; the two rip cords were pulled harsh and fast, tops circling and grinding together as sparks flew everywhere.

"Salamulyon!"

"Dranzer!"

The two fire bit-beasts rose, sending waves of power to the audience, matching their master's half-respect half-dislike for each other. The salamander wrapped its tail around Dranzer's neck, pinning him heavily to the ground, only to fly as Dranzer shot to the air at Kai's nod.

The battle was balanced; transferring the bladers' anger to their bit beasts was working like a charm. The beyblade's continued grinding together, never slowing down. The bey-stadium was destroyed in some parts by now, some thrown carelessly about towards the players, but they didn't seem to mind or even feel them, their gaze locked even if a fierce combat was being held between them. They both knew this was more than a simple battle.

"Now, Dranzer!"

"Watch it, Salamulyon."

Dranzer evaded Salamulyon's tail again, screeched loudly once and was bathed by a light brighter than usual. The phoenix attacked boldly against his opponent, while the salamander crossed its arms in a blocking way, but surprisingly, Dranzer managed to push him to the ground, his immense talons cutting through the reptile's scales effortlessly.

"AND DRANZER WOKE UP AND IS CURRENTLY GAINING ON SALAMULYON WITH AN INCREDIBLE POWER!" comments from Jazzman were heard, not that they were really listening.

"McGregor, what the heck do you think you're doing? Counter-attack quickly before it's too late!" Robert's angry voice snapped Johnny out of his trance-like state. The Scottish boy watched helplessly as Dranzer's talons pierced his bit-beast's skin, until finally, the blue beyblade sent a final jab at the red one's side, not only destroying his attack ring, but also making it tumble over the dish, near his owner's feet, who looked at it unbelievingly.

"WHAT A GREAT MATCH THIS WAS, PEOPLE! AND AS JOHNNY'S BEYBLADE CANNOT BE USED AGAIN WITHOUT REPAIRS, THIS COMBAT GOES TO KAI, FROM THE BLADEBREAKERS! NOW WE HAVE ENRIQUE AND ROBERT TRYING TO OVERPOWER THE COUPLE KAI AND IRIS!"  
_  
_Iris glared at him at the last comment, while Kenny gave her back her blade after one last observation.

After a simple check up on Dranzer, Kai picked up the dark blue beyblade once more, hearing Kenny say, "That was an excellent match, Kai!"

"It was good." Tala said absently, not turning away from the BladeBreakers' opponents, looking at a certain red-haired female. Today, the turquoise-eyed boy managed to elude the security and was sitting with the rest of them as well.

"I agree." Iris nodded, heading for the bey-dish. As she passed by her captain, their shoulders brushed, unnoticed by the others.

The bluenette turned on his heels to follow her, deep eyes never looking away, except at Tyson's comment.

"Hey Kai! Watch out for Enrique-poo!"

"Hi there, princess..." Enrique winked as Iris came to a stop in front of him. He lifted an eyebrow suggestively.

"Enrique, please control yourself..." Robert rolled his eyes discreetly.

Iris would give the blond a reply, but Kai soon joined them, stopping beside her, adjusting Dranzer to his launcher, with Iris and the other boys mimicking him right after.

"3... 2... 1!... LET IT RIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPP!"

Four beyblade's shot onto the stadium, grinding together once, before separating and spinning everywhere, sometimes even blinking out of sight, appearing on the other side of the dish, clashing here and there.

"You ready?" Kai asked absently whilst manoeuvring Dranzer out of Gryffolyon's way, just to clash into the hippogriff from behind two times more powerful. He knew the answer just by the look in her eyes.

"You bet I am." Iris replied, grinning, concentrating in giving power to Lugiohan, who was neck-on-neck with Amphilyon. "You know what to do, Lugiohan!"

"Dranzer!"

The black and the blue beyblade's started spinning faster, sparks flying from one top to another.

"It seems as if they're... sharing their own energy between themselves.. Is that even possible?" Kenny looked over at Dizzy's screen and back to the battle not believing his eyes.

"It sure seems like it, Chief."

Tyson crossed his arms, nose in the air, pouting, "Hmph, no fair! If **I** was there, I would've done the same!"

Back at the battle, Lugiohan and Dranzer, side by side, never looked so bright and strong. Their attacks, combined as one, advanced towards Amphilyon and Gryffolyon, sending them clear out of the stadium. The two other combats were identical.

Ray and Max had some problems with Rosemary and Oliver, the first round they lost, the second was a tie and the third they won. They had to have a fourth combat and they won once again. The BladeBreakers were in the semi-finals.

"YEAH! WE'RE IN THE SEMI-FINALS!" Tyson shouted as they went to their locker room, taking their stuff back to return to the hotel. Their next combat was within three days.

"Kai, please tell me we're not gonna train anymore today..." Ray turned to their captain, who was simply leaning against the wall.

"Please, Kai? C'mon..."

The slate-haired teen slowly opened his mahogany orbs and lifted one eyebrow at the navy-blue eyed boy who had spoken. "No, we're not training. At least, not right now."

"We're not?" Iris grinned happily, "That's great! That way I can go over to my old house! I need to see how it is."

The two Russian boys locked their stares, turning to the girl in front of them next. She instantly knew they wouldn't let her go alone.

"Aww, c'mon, you guys!" the female narrowed her silver hues, "I'm old enough to take care of myself..." arms crossed over her chest, she promptly pouted.

Tala sighed and took a few steps in her direction, taking her hands in his, "We know that. But I don't know where Boris is, no one does. I don't want to lose you again. Not if I can help it. And right now, I can."

Iris snorted lightly, "Yuriy, don't be so over reactive... Not to mention protective. Lugiohan's with me. She'll warn me if something goes wrong. Besides, she'll warn you too."

"We aren't saying she wouldn't." Kai looked her straight in the eyes, slight concern written in his. Something she just could not ignore, something she never saw in her short life before, "But if we go, you'll be safer. And don't forget that you're feeling.. watched lately."

The young girl finally rolled her eyes after trying to stare her captain down, which she ended up giving up, "Meh, fine! Okay, you can come. But I'm not happy for it." She turned around, punching Tala playfully on the stomach, before going through the door, the rest of the team already out.

The red-head shook his head, "She'll never change... stubborn as hell."

Kai chuckled softly, "Maybe. But we both know we wouldn't want her in any other way." He started walking towards the door, "You coming, Ivanov?"

Tala nodded and soon followed, but as they were leaving the building he stopped once more, "Wait. I... Need to do something first." Turning around again, he threw over his shoulder, "I'll meet you in the hotel in half an hour..." and he was out of sight into the dark halls.

"Where is he going in such a hurry?" Iris placed her chin on Kai's shoulder, standing on her tip toes to look at her best friend's shadow disappear completely. The BladeBreakers were already on their way back to the hotel.

"I think I know where he's heading, but that's simply a theory..." Kai smirked at her, "And you?"

She chuckled slyly, looking up at him, "Me too, Phoenix, me too."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

The Majestic's entered the door to their lockers to retrieve their things, Rosemary trying to soothe her literally explosive brother, while Robert, Oliver and Enrique discussed abut the new techniques and better team-work their adversaries had, being interrupted by Enrique sending a "Man, but the Blanchett girl was hoooooooot!" once in a while, of course.

"...Well, let's go then. Time to return to the hotel." Robert stood by the door, one hand on his hip, typically 'superior'.

"Mais oui. I need Gustav's tea..." Oliver mumbled, trying to keep away from the overreacting blonde with apprehensive eyes.

"...Love her attitude! And her style! Do you think I still have a chance with her?..." and on and on the Italian blabbed.

With a well aimed kick at the back of the knee, Johnny, still sulking, passed a hopping Enrique as he cradled his pounding knee, the Salamulyon guardian growling and swearing under his breath, eyes narrowed. "Idiot..."

As Rosemary was coming out of the door, the rest of them were already walking away. Suddenly, she felt one strong hand clench around her wrist, and another over her lips, as her captor dragged her to a desert hall that connected to the stadiums, now empty. By now, she knew it was a him, from the soft cologne that she breathed.

Said male turned her around, making her soft lavender eyes meet with vibrant turquoise ones. Shy for nature, completely opposite to her brother, she felt a blush appear over her cheeks at the proximity they were. One of his hands was still around her arm and his other one was now resting gently over the curve of her waist.

"Hey.." the soft whisper caressed her neck, making goose-bumps appear. She felt his lips dangerously close to her earlobe; but she said nothing to make him stop, no words, no move. "Just wanted to say hi in a different way..."

"T'at so? How dif'rent?" her voice was as soft as his own. Just the mere sound of it sent shivers down his spine, and her accent only prickled his senses even more.

Not wanting to lose any more time or other than that, not having the patience to, he let his lips rest against hers ever so gently. So unlike him. After they parted, the girl looked deep into Tala's eyes not knowing what to say and before anything; one finger was placed over her lips. "Don't speak." This time, lips grinded together in an ageless dance, desperate, rougher; lavender eyes closed, followed swiftly by blue ones. Her soft hands dug into his blood red mane, clenching and unclenching softly but urgently as his own made strange patterns along her back, lips never parting.

The obvious need of oxygen was the only reason why they parted the heated kiss. They didn't pull away from each other's arms, rather the contrary. The Russian teen rested his chin on her shoulder, making their cheeks touch. They both welcomed the warmth that the small gesture created.

"T'at... was tha best kiss... Ah've evah.. had..." she managed to stutter out. Mutually, they both grinned. The boy holding her had yet to move and for once, she decided to be daring. Leaning in, she nipped a spot on his neck once, before parting her lips. For some moments, she sucked on his pale skin mercilessly until she had left a slight red mark. All the while, she had been smirking (not much unlike her brother) as she heard his surprised gasp and then a slight groan from the back of his throat. The girl looked back into his eyes, smiling shyly, "So... Now w'at?"

Tala's lips curved into a slight amused smile, "Now? Now we continue..." he let his lips cover hers again.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

As Kai and Iris started walking down the street, the rest of their team already gone from sight.

"Let's wait for Tala here, grab some lunch and then go over to my house." Iris suggested, as he sat down in one of the benches.

"Sounds good. As long as I keep an eye on you..." his hand caught hers gently, pulling her towards him.

She sat sideways on his lap, one hand on his shoulder. A dark eyebrow rose, "And whatever do you have in mind?"

"You tell me..." Kai leaned forward, capturing her lips in a dominant kiss, one that neither wanted to submit to. Tongues battling, mouths only parting enough to take enough air and start again. For those who only knew coldness and loneliness through their short lives, this was the blissful contrary.

"Ahem..." or not so blissful. The couple quickly parted, glaring at the Russian intromission. Déjà-vu... "Sorry to interrupt... err, yet again."

"Indeed." the phoenix rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and getting up. Iris did the same, albeit a light blush was upon her cheek bones.

Tala followed. He and Rosemary were interrupted by the girl's over-protective brother. Luckily he didn't catch them together. After a nice lunch, the three friends continued their former walk.

As she turned to look at the redhead, Iris suddenly noticed something. "Tala... Is that a hickie!" she snickered as she walked up to him and pushed the collar of his shirt down a bit more.

"No! No, it's not!" he pushed her away not so gently, blushing and looking away from her.

"Ah, so you told her! How very **_sweet_** of you..." she spoke in a high-pitched voice, making both males flinch. She knew perfectly well he (and now Kai) hated that.

"Knock it off..."

For a bit more than an hour they walked and ever so slowly, the scenery started to change, from large streets with cars everywhere, typical of a big city, to old alleys with the ground so irregular you have to keep looking at it as not to fall. The houses were modest, smaller and some needing repairs.

"This area is slightly different, as you can see. It's not big, but it's what I call home. We're almost there." After they had walked along an upwards street, they found themselves in an intersection of four roads. Iris turned to the first one at their left, soon followed by both boys.

A hundred feet or so ahead, she stopped and looked to her right, a small smile on her lips. "Just like I remember it..."

A big large house, painted in pastel tinges, stood tall and proud, three floors high. It was big in the standard of the houses around it, but it was quite simple in design and style. It had two gates, one small and one large, obviously to let a car in, for the garage was right on the end of the corridor which led to it. From that gate to the garage door it fit at least two cars, and one inside said garage. The façade presented six windows, two with a small balcony. Beside the two lower ones, there was a wooden door, equal to the one in the middle of the corridor.

"You coming or not?" Iris sprinted to the main gate, opening it with a key she had been carrying. The three of them entered. Walking to the garage door, both males saw that at their right was a passage, leading to a square patio. As they stood in the middle of it, they saw one of the streets of the intersection from before, a market being repaired or maybe even destroyed, and many other houses. Glued to the house they were in, there was a big open space with vibrant green grass and with two bey-stadiums, one on each side.

The patio had flower-pots everywhere and a lemon-tree was in one corner. The house itself was divided in two: the first floor, with a large veranda that led into a kitchen and a corridor beyond, and the two upper floors. To go to the second one, there were stairs, also leading to a long big veranda.

"The first floor was for my grandparents. They left a while before I did. The rest of the house was for my parents, my sister and I." after climbing up the stairs, she opened the door that would lead them to the second floor.

"What do you want from here anyway?"

"I... wanted to get my sister's diary. I saw her write it, though she would've never let me read it. She used to say that when she was gone, I should do it; that everything was explained there. Now I want to know what big juicy secrets did she hide." walking along the small kitchen, and from there to the hall, she kept going. Once there, the girl turned left, climbing up a set of wooden spiral stairs. "Up here were the bedrooms." And with that she was gone from sight. The other two teens soon followed her.

As they reached the end of the stairs, right in front of them was a bathroom, at their left two bedrooms and at the right, other two bedrooms. One of the rooms was obviously for a couple, painted in navy blues and soft beiges. One other bedroom was made out of cherry wood and painted in soft browns and light pinks. The bedrooms to their left were clearly for children.

One had the floor made of a polished mahogany wood, the ceiling black stripped with a sudden soft beige shade. The walls were dark red in colour, a few paintings in them too. One of a white and black tiger, another of a white phoenix and yet another with a black wolf. The last one was of a little girl, not older than her six, maybe seven years... her silky black hair went till just past her shoulders and the very tips of it were an abrupt red. Her eyes were wide, tinged of a very light blue colour. On the picture frame, a single sentence was on it: 'Iris Catherine Blanchett'.

"Be brave, little one, and never give up." Kai and Tala looked back at the door, seeing the black haired girl leaning against its frame, looking at the same picture. "That's what my dad told me once he put that picture there. My uncle, his sister's husband, did it, along with all the other portraits. I still remember just how bored I was while he was painting it. Until my mother decided to take my photo instead." She chuckled, eyes hazing over as memories appeared.

The last room had a teenage touch to it. A female one. The floor was just the same as the last one, though the ceiling was light blue. The walls were coloured in dark blues and navy ones, a few blacks and silvers here and there, giving a slight sensation of movement and creating a beautiful effect. That was, what could be seen between the posters and portraits covering said walls.

Walking inside, Iris moved to the wooden desk, crouching down next to it. Opening a drawer under it, she took out a completely black note-book. "C'mon, let's get out of here. Our work is done." She wanted to put as much distance as she could between this place and herself, there were way too many memories returning to her. Some pleasant, but most of them far from that.

Two hours later, they arrived to the hotel. Through all the way back, she had been hugging the black book to her chest. And right now, there was too much in her mind. _There's only one thing left to do then._ She got up, heading for the Old Meadow once more. A training session sounded excellent right now.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

A black beyblade spun around in the darkening nature, scaring some birds away. Its Mistress was with her eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed, giving away the fact that she was concentrated. Lugiohan continued spinning in front of her, waiting for her commands.

The silver orbs snapped open and her arms motioned for her blade, "Go Lugiohan." the thunder phoenix moved up a tree, to one of the branches, passing above Iris, landing again and dodging the sticks driven into the ground with such speed that sometimes, it phased out of vision. In her way back, Lugiohan broke every single stick, returning to her mistress undamaged.

The girl turned around and released her blade again on her improvised dish. Soon after, a dark blue top joined hers, clashing together, until both separated, as she caught Lugiohan effortlessly. For a moment, she thought it was Sarabela and Black Dranzer, but the blue beyblade was a dead giveaway. She smiled, "Come out, Kai."

"So, this is the place you escape to." the boy appeared from in between the thick trees.

Her eyes lowered, "When I want to think, yes. You **don't** want to see me in a tantrum, believe me."

"I'm sure."

"Yuriy sent you to get me?" clear amusement was in her voice, "That guy cares way too much for his own good..."

Kai shook his head at her, "No, he didn't. And even if he had, he has his own legs to come here by himself. I'm not Ivanov's or anyone's slave to do their bidding."

"Hu huh... Sad." She giggled, "I thought you were **my** slave..."

"Really..." he sweat-dropped, looking slightly annoyed.

"Just kidding. C'mon. We should go back."

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Like Iris had said earlier, when the BladeBreakers came out of the hotel that night to catch some air after a good dinner, the riverside was completely alive with lights, dancers, traditional music and people walking around having fun.

In their way, they found the White Tigers and the Majestic's. As midnight approached, the three teams were found chatting, while sitting down at an esplanade, traditional dressed dancers dancing to the folklore music all around them.

Tala and Kai suddenly locked narrowed eyes. A few seconds after, Iris moved about uncomfortably. And soon, everyone else also noticed it. A small group of teens looking their way. Emotionless faces, cold stares, a sneer on their lips.

"The Shadowed Blades..." Lee hissed, curling his upper lip back from his teeth in a vicious snarl. His team-mates adopted a similar reaction.

"Damn them all to hell and back. Can't they see they are being used?" The redheaded Russian grumbled, looking away with a sour expression. Realizing they had been seen, said team walked away, leaving them alone for the time being, much to their relief.

When everybody was practically sleeping over one of the seemingly infinite stories of Robert's family, Tala managed to take Rosemary away from the big group. Her brother was snoring away at the time, no problem there. The music had changed to a soft ballade and that was just fine to the couple.

"Ya dance preetty smoot'ly. Not usual fo' a man, ya kno..." the girl broke the comfortable silence between them, resting her head on his chest. Their bodies seemed to mould to each other; each step symmetrical in every way.

"It's not hard. But if you really need to know, I'm just doing what you are doing." he murmured softly, not opening his eyes. The scent of her hair on his nostrils was something he wanted to memorize forever. She let out a quiet giggle at that.

Tala rested his lips against hers in a soft kiss, arms pulling her close. She responded to it timidly, as she always did, opening her mouth as he nudged her lips apart with his tongue. Her teeth grazed his tongue, not biting, while her own came forward to caress his, not caring about who was there to see. Not now, not like this with him.

Who would've thought that within a week everything could change this perfection between them? Around them?

Iris, after a lot of convincing, finally managed to pull Ray to his feet and make him ask Mariah to dance. She blushed lightly, but accepted his offer, even if Lee was watching.

By the end of the first dance, both neko-jins abandoned the dance floor, running carelessly along the beach, their shoes dangling in their hands; their feet haphazardly diving into the shore, splashing the cold water everywhere.

They found themselves rolling on the sand at some time, Mariah ending to be on top, straddling the tiger. Her shyness took over her slightly, as she turned away from his amber eyes, but two of his fingers at her chin made her look at him again. Her breathing was coming slightly shallow, her heart beating faster.

Ray took a gentle hold of her turtleneck's collar and pulled her closer to him, making her lose her balance and brace her arms on his shoulders. In the process, her lips came in contact with his own. She was surprised, but soon after, their eyes closed.

Who would've thought that within a week their new-found comfort in each other could easily be dismantled? And may change the world they knew of?

Discreetly, Iris and Kai went away to walk on their own. Among them, there was a comfortable silence, and neither seemed to want to break it. She suddenly chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"Us..." by the tone of her voice, she found them amusing, but there was also a slight bitterness in it too, "All our lives... Fighting to survive, to sleep through the night and be alive in the next morning... Not allowed to feel. And now..."

He stopped, looking at her with a confused look. The other also stopped as she noticed he wasn't following.

"So many years of suppressing our feelings... our so called **weaknesses**... Just to find out that we love each other. Our lives and thoughts really did a U turn this time, huh?" smiling fallaciously, she leaned against the nearest wall, her chin dropping.

It was the first time she uttered the word 'love'... let alone regarding themselves. And it was also the first time she smiled like that. "Think that God finally heard our puny prayers and is now repaying us." Walking up to her, he stopped just a few inches away from her face. Leaning in, his forehead touched hers. "Leave the past behind. Ignore the future. What matters is the present, nothing else."

"In that, you're right... For a change." Her smile was a true one this time, "We all had a dark past... And for that, we'll have a haunted future."

"Which will come in due time. Right now, we have each other."

Who would've though that within a week a girl's existence would make such a difference? That her life would change so much once more?

...TBC...


	9. Waiting for the end

**Dark: 9th chapter is here. Warning, it's downright huge, I know. Plz do review, since this one took a lot of me & is one of the best. 4 weeks left. **

Summary/Disclaimer: check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 8... Waiting for the end **

In the early morning of the semi-finals, we found the BladeBreakers in the City Park, running like there was no tomorrow. Of course that Chief was still in the hotel with Dizzy, also with Hilary, who had arrived by plane two hours before, along with Mr. D.

First we see Kai, relaxed, as if he was only walking, Iris beside him, also not tired at all. On the other side of the BladeBreakers' leader, there was Tala, also running with no problems. A few feet behind, we have Ray, starting to slow down, his breathing a bit ragged and sweat all over his face. Then, our dear Max, trying to keep up and keep his eyes open, gasping for air, and lastly, a bit behind from the rest of them, we have the great World Champ, almost stumbling over his feet, panting for breath and one hand holding his side, which was aching.

When they finally stopped, Tyson fell to the soft grass, rolling about, before entering in a fight with Max, throwing grass and small acorns at each other. Ray climbed to a low tree branch, glancing at the big deep lake in front of him, the tip of his ponytail grazing the water. Kai was leaning against said tree.

Whilst Chief, who had just arrived, was finishing his breakfast he brought along from the hotel and speaking with Dizzy (trying his best to miss the acorns thrown occasionally), Iris walked to the lake, watching ducks and swans swimming here and there. She was still thinking about her sister's diary. And still, she did not have the courage to open it.

The reason was quite simple. Right on the first page was written, boldly and clearly:

**YOU ALL SHALL DIE FOR THE CRIMES YOU HAVE COMMITTED. I WILL LEAVE NO WITNESSES AND THE WORLD YOU KNOW WILL NO LONGER EXIST. **

Once she read that, she closed it again as quickly as she could. She couldn't lie to herself by saying it didn't affect her.

It wasn't the fact that the sentences were threats. It wasn't the fact that they seemed to be written in blood either.

It was the fact that they were written in Sarabela's precise calligraphy that left her speechless. And that led her to more unanswered questions.

'_Why would she do that? She does not have anything against me... why? Why is this happening? And how could she have done this if she didn't know about the location of my house, let alone the existence of my sister's diary...'  
_  
««Flashback»»  
"Wow, Iris! You're the best!" a little girl, no older than five exclaimed, pale eyes shinning brightly in awe. She looked up to another girl, four, maybe five years older.

Despite the years of torture making her seem older and all the pain and beatings and rape she had been through, Iris smiled at her, "I still have a lot of learning and perfecting to do, 'bela. I'm far from being the best."

"Nah, you're the best there is! Only the elites can defeat you! And just when they're lucky! Even my brother!" Sarabela hugged Iris's waist tightly, rubbing her face against the girl's clothes. "And ya know what?"

She looked down at her, trying to smile through the pain the small hug was causing. Boris was everything but gentle with her this time, "What, kiddo?"

"You're my best friend! Ever!"

"Really?"

The child looked up, her eyes reflecting complete trust and the innocence that all young kids have. An innocence that Iris had lost long ago. "Hu huh!"  
««End Flashback»»

: Have you ever thought... Black Dranzer may be behind all that. : Dranzer's soothing voice calmed her thoughts: The responsible of changing her behaviour towards you. :

_'I don't know, Dranzer. Maybe. But what can all this mean? My dreams, the pain, the threats... I don't understand..'_

: Everything will turn back to what it used to be. In time. :

Looking up to the sky, she murmured to the soft breeze, "I just wonder when that's gonna happen..."

Strong arms encircled her waist, startling her, "What's gonna happen?" Kai rested his chin on her shoulder gently.

"You're aware that they'll probably see us, right?"

"No, they won't. They're too tired to even think of us..." his lips caught her earlobe, "So, no need to worry." he nuzzled her neck, tickling her with his hair slightly, "You seem... far away lately, if you know what I mean."

"Why do you think that?" she tried to turn, but his arms kept her in place.

"You've been distracted, off in your own world. Looking over at something, when your mind is on something else completely different. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"The semi-finals?"

"No, our opponents are weak for what I've heard and read... Compared to the Majestic's, at least..."

This time he whispered softly at her ear, "Then, what is it?"

Leaning back and resting her head on his shoulder, she replied in a husky whisper, "Well, I was just wondering what a certain sexy, drop-dead gorgeous Kai Hiwatari was doing at the moment..." she rubbed her cheek against the silky material of his scarf; glad her voice kept that tone. '_He doesn't need to know what's going on... Not for now. No need to worry about it, my beautiful one...'  
_  
He blinked once. Twice. '_That was unexpected...'_ "Yeah..." he cleared his throat, pulling back slightly, "Right... We should go; they should be starting to look for us..."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"

The couple separated quickly, but as they turned, no one was looking at them or even near them. Instead, they found the BladeBreakers looking surprised, a confused Hilary and a flabbergasted Tala. Glancing in the direction where they were all looking, they saw the reason all the shock in the form of three boys, no older than themselves.

The tallest one was blond, pale blue piercing eyes lightening his pale features. The second one was a pale boy, with an unwavering emotionless light lavender stare, straight lavender hair grazing his jaw. The shortest was a purple-haired guy, playful looking, a smirk on his lips, looking at his team captain with amusement.

At seeing them, a smile was glued to Iris's face immediately, "What are you guys doing here? And how did you found us?" They all turned to look at her.

Spencer smiled softly, "Hey, kid! Didn't know you were here." as she got close, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug, "We didn't even know if you had survived or not."

"Well, you know me... Being small has its advantages sometimes." she chuckled as he put her down, before looking at Bryan. Knowing he didn't like hugs and stuff, she just embraced him quickly.

"Don't you do something like that ever again, do you hear me?" he said sternly, albeit looking at her in a kind way, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"I needed to get out of there... It was the only way." her stare lowered to the ground, "Sorry."

"Hmph, sorry... You didn't even say good bye properly. I thought Tala was going to commit suicide or something..." Ian muttered while frowning at her.

The girl sent a look at the redhead at hearing that, "Hn..." Walking up to the short boy, she ruffled his already unruly purple hair. "Hu huh, it's nice to see you too... Glad you were there to stop him from succeeding then."

After some time, the group started to walk back to the hotel.

"So, you're in the semi-finals."

Tyson puffed up his chest at that, "You bet we are! No one will bet us!" Everyone rolled their eyes at that.

Ian snorted, "If I were you, I wouldn't be so calm."

The naïve boy looked confused, "Huh?"

"What do you mean by that, Ian?" Iris turned away from the conversation she was having with the three remaining Demo-Boys about the Shadowed Blades. Obviously, Bryan was pissed off by knowing that his younger sister was in it.

"Duh, **you**'re the ones in the tournament, and it's **me** who knows what's happening?"

"Just say it already!" Kai snapped at him, frowning.

Ian also frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. But at seeing his captain's and Kai's faces, he restarted speaking, "Err you see, the team that was going to battle you guys, got some problems with their beyblade's. So, BBA decided that that team should switch, since the next semi-finals is two days after yours. Meaning, you're going to battle the Dark Equestriennes. And the other team, the Shadowed Blades."

"And if they're as good as they sounded when we met them that day, the finals should be between us and those Shadowed losers."

"Uh oh..." Chief sat down on a nearby bench, opening Dizzy on his way. As the match's page finally appeared, it proved Ian's theory correct. He adjusted his glasses, clicking on the name of their opponents, "We've been training to combat The Tempest team, not this one... Okay, so they're all Portuguese, they're five girls, they all have bit beasts... by this data, they seem good."

"Guess what that means, guys..." Iris looked at the rest of her team, a smirk on her lips.

"NO! If THAT means **MORE** training, count me **OUT**!" Tyson started to run away, but Kai quickly grabbed his collar. "We were going to eat! I'm hungry!" the World Champion whined. "No fair!" As if on cue, his stomach growled loudly.

"Do I seem like I care?"

"Kai, the hunger you have is forbidding you of thinking right! You can't possibly be thinking of training WITHOUT a good tasty lunch!" Tyson's eyes turned to a dreamy state, as he started thinking of all the delicious food he wanted to eat right about now, "Mmmmm, lasagne... or maybe a nice spicy roasted chicken! Or, or PIZZA! Ahhh... or even hamburger!" the young teen started drooling.

Everyone rolled his or her eyes at him, as they returned to the hotel, cringing while Tyson suddenly remembered more of the "YUMMY JUICY MARVELOUS FIRST-COURSE!" he could have, as he put it. They finally arrived their destination and only with much, much pressure and after a fruit salad, did they manage to convince Tyson to train some more.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

After the complete lunch Tyson was complaining so much about, they all retired to the hotel room to rest before they battled in the afternoon.

And it was only now that Iris found enough courage to check out the diary again beyond its first page. Closing the door, but not locking it (in case she found another disturbing thing on the book...), she threw the notebook nonchalantly onto her bed, letting her body collapse right beside it. Rolling onto her stomach, she picked it up, eyeing it carefully.

"You better not have done anything else to it, 'bela.." She took a last deep breath and braced herself for the shock. Her hand opened the cover, showing that boldly written phrase to the world to see, as usual. She turned the page, closing her eyes and opening them slowly again. The neat calligraphy of her sister, Miranda, greeted her, as she let out a breath she didn't knew she was holding. Even if the text there wasn't happy, it was somewhat of a relief.

Before she began reading, her head tilted to the side. Soft footfalls were heard. The bed squeaked as the mattress gave in to more weight. "What does that say?" Tala looked over her shoulder, startling her.

"Yuriy! Don't do that!"

"Sorry. Mind to translate it, please?" Tala looked at her, in a way she couldn't really refuse, "For me?"

"Oh fine! Who says no to a look like that one!" half heartedly, she glared at him over her shoulder, rolling her eyes as he grinned back at her playfully, " 'They found out about my sister. I don't know what they want from her. But something's wrong, Lugiohan feels it and so do I. They are pressuring me into training more and more. They also presented me to what they call "Experience Double - Black Dranzer". Once more, it was another one of Boris' experiences. For what I've heard, it was created by him, but its original power was from the Phoenix of Fire, Dranzer, I think it was the name. Of course that that freak couldn't duplicate a bit beast's power, no one can' and bla, bla de bla..." turning to the last written page, she found it to be full of small drops of blood here and there. Miranda's calligraphy was slightly wobbly, as if she was drunk or maybe even.. hurt.

Biting her lower lip, she ignored that last thought. Gulping down the lump that was in her throat, she started reading to herself first, then out loud, noting a bit of nervousness and eagerness in her own voice, " 'Now I know. It's not me who they want. As I realized too late, they can kill me anytime they want. Nor do they want Lugiohan, or want her **with** me for that matter. No, it's Iris who they're after. I can see the interested gleam in Boris' stare every time he talks about her. It scares me. I'll have to do something, get her out of here. Anywhere, but in Europe; she's not safe. But I'm afraid they'll kill me before I have time to say this to her. You need to keep Lugiohan safe, sis. But above all, keep yourself safe'..." Iris's voice trailed off, cracking in the last few words as her hold on the book slacked, making it fall to the ground. She let her head fall against the mattress, as Tala's arms wrapped around her form, hugging her close to him, not saying a word.

The silent tears came, blurring her sight, the weight of her past and her fault for her sister's death struck her like a tone of bricks, now more than ever. '_So that is why she told me to escape with Lugiohan... It was an alibi to keep me safe... She told me to find Mr. Dickenson... But it was just to run away from Europe... And even before she was killed, Boris already knew about her ability, about me... She already had connections with them.' _Memories appeared, playing in front of her mind's eye like an old film passing slowly... painfully. Aging thoughts screamed louder than any shout, pulling her down, down, into the abyss of darkness that is your sub-conscious.

_'She's dead... She died, and I couldn't do anything to stop them!'  
_  
_'It's all my fault, MY FAULT! It always was... It won't stop, not now, not ever. No one can help me; you should know that by now...'  
_  
_'No! I don't remember! I'm sorry, I just can't! It's too painful!' _

_'I can't go on like this... It's breaking me apart. I won't live much longer, he'll kill me if he keeps this up... Which I know he will.'_

_'What if I just died? All I need is something sharp and slice my throat open. No one would notice that. After all, what's my purpose here? Boris' personal whore? No thank you. I'd rather be up there, sis... With you... And Mom... And Dad... It would be for the best...'_

_'It hurts... It hurts... Stop it! Please, that's enough... please.. please... please. Even Death is better than the life I have...'_

Quiet sobs made her shoulders shake, as she absently heard the ripping of her mattress, her fists fisting it too tightly. In the background, Iris heard a gruff voice over the loud thoughts in her head. Faint, but it was there. Kai's.

"What happened?" She did not lift her head as she felt Tala pull away from her slightly.

Said redhead glanced over at the book discarded on the bed, then at her and back at Kai, slight concern and helplessness shining in those turquoise blue pools.

Silently, the slate haired teen nodded. He sat down beside Iris as Tala stood up. It took one or two minutes until the girl completely let go of his hand and only then did he leave the room, sending a warning look over at the other boy before he did.

Settling himself against the head board of the bed, Kai made no move to approach her, opting to wait. While she was lying on her side, arms hugging herself and facing away from him, he had one of his legs pulled up to his chest, one arm draped over the knee, while his other leg was outstretched in front of him; in distance, they were barely a foot apart.

A couple of minutes later, the silence still stretching between them, Iris's grip on her own clothes at her sides loosened as she slowly lifted the upper half of her body off the mattress. Turning her head to glance at him, a mocking smile curved her lips. Not mocking him; mocking _herself_. "You must be thinking at how weak I am. Crying over something that was written over seven years ago."

"To cry is not being weak." Reaching over, his finger lifted her chin up, mahogany hues locking with clouded silver ones, sparkling with tears that were being held back as though her life depended on it. "To think so, is being weak minded."

A ghost of a smile curved the corners of her mouth up as she blinked once. Once, and that was it. The thin crystalline rivers of her tears rolled down the trail already made by the former ones.

It seemed so right. She felt... What, safe, wanted? Even loved? Probably. With him, she was ready to believe everything. If he said she was capable, she'd trust him. If he said it wasn't worth it, she had no doubts it wasn't.

Barely three weeks ago, she would call herself crazy for even thinking of such a thing, but here, now... Moving about a bit, she laid back down again, her cheek resting comfortably against his ribcage, her arms shyly wrapping around his waist.

Letting out a silent sigh, he sent a glare in the book's direction before his eyes drifted closed. Even with her change of position, he didn't move. By unspoken words, he knew she didn't need anything else, but his mere presence. To let her know that she wasn't alone. Not anymore.

They were soul-mates, and nothing could change that. Both their respective bit beasts left a knowing glitter in their bit chips, as that fact became more and more apparent. And still, in the stillness of the moment, they weren't the only ones.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Iris had fallen into a light sleep a few minutes after, if the regular pattern of her breathing was an indication. With a small smile, Tala noticed that when he re-entered the room.

Kai glanced over at him, pausing from his observance on Dranzer. His bit chip shined in recognition as Tala felt Wolborg do just the same, the sudden cold feeling in his pocket could only mean one thing. The faint white glow under Iris's chin brought out Lugiohan's presence also, coming from her owner's necklace.

"Half an hour, semi finals. Wake her up." Nodding towards the slumbering girl, the redhead whispered softly, before exiting the room again.

The slate haired teen let one finger trail down since the back of her neck to the small of her back, following the slight indentation her spine caused. Still not glancing away from his beyblade, he felt her arch her back at the touch, a quiet growl escaping her.

"Is it time already?" her voice had a hint of annoyance and maybe a slight hope that that wasn't true.

"It is. Get up, you have twenty minutes."

"Twenty..." she sat up beside him, frowning sleepily at him, "I don't get ready in twenty minutes; I need a shower and-"

"Passing to fifteen minutes." As a response, he smirked, getting up himself. "I suggest you to hurry up."

To his amusement, she glared at him. Muttering something under her breath, she stomped angrily to the connecting bathroom.

Around half an hour later, both the BladeBreakers and the Demolition-Boys arrived to the dome-like building that was hosting the tournament.

"HELLO, AND GOOD AFTERNOON TO ALL FANS OUT THERE! I PRESENT YOU THE SEMI-FINALS OF THE EUROPEAN TOURNAMENT! FROM THIS MATCH FORWARD, THERE WON'T BE PAIRS COMBAT, AS YA KNOW! AAAAAAND NOW WE HAVE THE CURRENT WORLD CHAPIONS, THE BLADEBREAKERS, AGAINST THE DARK EQUESTRIENNES! PLEASE WELCOME BOTH TEAMS!"

While the BladeBreakers sat on their respective bench, the Demo-Boys sat on the stands. Tyson would go first, then Max and finally, Kai.

"But then, I won't battle in the finals!"

"T., the world doesn't spin around you. It's not anthropocentrism all over again with you being the supreme one. You are the ONE who gave THE TITTLE of World Champions to THE TEAM, remember? You didn't defeat Tala all by yourself and just like that."

Silence.

Looking up, the black haired girl saw Tyson sulking. "Did you even hear me!"

"...Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

"Good." Iris smiled happily at the younger teen, as he walked to his side of the dish. '_He has improved a lot ever since I started training him myself. At least, he's not as smug and he actually pays attention to his opponent's moves. All he needed was a few smacks at that back of his head.'  
_  
"ALRIGHT, IN THIS FIRST ROUND, WE HAVE TYSON VERSUS MARIANA! THEIR TECHNIQUES ARE QUITE ALIKE! LET'S SEE HOW THEY WORK THEIR WAY TO VICTORY! SOO, 3... 2... 1!... LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTT IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPP!"

"Dragoon!"

"Finish him off, Kiarah!"

Tyson looked up at the girl in front of him. She made him remember Emily. _Her style, her attitude... Hmmm, maybe her weakness is the same... Thinks she can do everything by herself, using way too much energy... Then she'll be too weak to dodge Dragoon._ An uncharacteristic smirk came to Tyson's lips. "You're in for it..."

Mariana looked up, "That's what you say..." she shrugged casually, a smirk of her own on her lips, "But you boys... you talk too damn much, but you can't do a thing. Roar a lot, but no biting, ne, little dragon?"

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try!" the navy blue haired teen shook a fist at her, "But remember; after you lose, don't come back and say you're sorry or that I cheated, it was your own fault!"

Ray and Max sweat-dropped at the overconfidence of their team-mate, Kenny groaned, rubbing his face with his hand. Both Kai and Iris, sitting in opposite sides of the bench, rolled their eyes in perfect unison.

_He was doing so well, why did he have to go and act all arrogant and darn smug? Grr, stupid Tyson... _Getting up from her seat, Iris walked up near the bey-dish, "Tyson! Make it quick, stop wasting time!"

"But-"

"No excuses! I'm your coach and you **will** obey me!" her angry façade almost fell as the blond and the black haired blader chuckled at that.

"Grr, fine!" Tyson looked back, and beyond her, probably to send a look over at Max and Ray. Childishly, he stuck out his tongue at them.  
_  
_"Tyson..." she really had to resist the urge to smack him, "Get on with it!"

"Ok, ok, chill... Sheesh, sorry for breathing..." grinning nervously, he turned back to the battle. The white beyblade started spinning faster slightly faster, making a circle around the other beyblade, giving Mariana no time to react. With a brilliant flash of bright blue light and a clashing of metal, Dragoon kept his ground, spinning vigorously as Mariana's beyblade was found undamaged, but out of the dish.

"ANNNNDD TYSON DID IT AGAIN, FOLKS! NOW, IT'S UP TO MAX TO WIN ANOTHER ROUND TO THE BLADEBREAKERS OR LET THIS MATCH BE TIED! GOOO, MAXIE!"

Tyson and Max made a high-five, as the hyper teen took his former place. The navy blue dark pools of the World Champion lowered as he passed by Iris, muttering a quiet but bitter "Sorry..."

"No need to say it if you don't mean it, kid." She rolled her eyes, "Next time, be sure **not** to question me again."

"I didn't mean to disappoint you, or anyone else. But so what if I snapped back at the girl! Is it that much of a big deal to you? What if I took a bit more time to beat her? Is there a time limit in this country?" angrily, if not also childishly, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared up at her, eyes lit with desire, desire of not wanting to be treated like so, desire she herself possessed, "Who are you to give me orders? Kai's the captain. He named you to **help** me, not order me around and do your bidding!"

Iris blinked once, looking at him in a somewhat surprised way, as did Ray and Kenny. It wasn't for Tyson to snap at anyone. Though the fact made her smile. Unconsciously, her eyes ran over the crowd, stopping when she found the four boys that she had grown up with. All of them, in some time, had snapped at her in a similar fashion, whether to make her see reason or just for the fun of it; they knew she enjoyed verbal matches as much as she enjoyed beyblading. Not to mention that she, more than once or twice, had done just the same thing.

Smiling ever so softly, her hand rested on his shoulder as he glanced over at it, his anger forgotten for a moment, "That's right. I've no right to give you orders whatsoever, T. Not me, not Kai, not your grandpa, no one." Despite the anger in his voice, hers was soft, almost with a sense of a carefree tone in it. Patting his shoulder once, she turned around, sitting back at her spot on the bench.

"AAAAAAANND 3... 2... 1!... LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPP!"

Draciel gave quite the performance, dodging every attack his adversary tried, keeping his defence up. In a quick fluid motion at Max's nod, the Metal Turtle sent the other beyblade out of the dish, unharmed.

"YAY!" Max caught Draciel, punching the air and showing it to everyone around as a wave of applause was heard. He ran down the steps, hugging Tyson, who was the closest, forcing him to jump along or he'd fall over, "I WAN! IWANIWANIWANIWAN!" it didn't take much for the other blader to catch on.

"WE WAN! WEWANWEWANWEWANWEWANWEWANWEWANWEWANWEWAN!"

Shaking her head at them both, Iris looked sideways at Kai as he approached. He nodded once at her, before walking up the stairs. Smirking behind his back, she leaned comfortably against the post of the bench.

Dranzer was launched swiftly, as the captain of the Dark Equestriennes did the same with her own beyblade. She was pale, named Carina, almost deathly pale, but she seemed to be the strongest of the team. A small smirk danced upon her lips.  
_  
_The boy simply lifted his eyebrow. Dranzer advanced towards the reddish brown blade spinning in the centre of the dish, grinding against it a couple of times. As his adversary jumped back from a harsh clash, it suddenly vanished.

Most of the crowd gasped, looking everywhere. His maroon eyes ran over the whole stadium, still not spotting the other beyblade. A sharp stinging pain in his left arm made him look towards a newly formed wound, dark crimson blood slowly dripping. His blood.

"Kai, look out!"

Glancing at the battle at hand again, a beautiful reddish brown stallion had risen, standing on its hind legs and neighing loudly. Galloping, the beyblade crashed harshly into Dranzer, sending it a few feet away, the Fire Phoenix dazed for a brief moment. Having free way, the horse's dark eyes looked at him, a soft snort coming from it as its mistress's smirk widened.

It galloped in his direction, head lowered and ears pulled back. The slight pain in his arm was soon forgotten, as the stinging in his cheeks, torso and arms appeared right after.

"Wind." From the stands, Bryan let out a small chuckle, "Clever girl, using a connecting element of her bit beast for her own gain."

"Still, she copied you." Ian pointed out, snickering.

"Yeah, I thought your attack had author rights."

"Shut up you three." The icy tone of the red haired captain stopped the mocking, "It might be fun for us, but she caught Hiwatari off guard."

"That's correct." The lavender eyed boy nodded, "He needs to counter attack quickly or he might run out of energy soon."

Crossing his arms in front of him in a blocking motion, Kai narrowed his eyes. '_Dranzer, he's distracted. You can attack him now.'  
_  
Black eyes snapped open, the bright scarlet and golden wings opening wide as the phoenix rose from the ground, unnoticed by the stallion. Clicking his beak in anger, Dranzer screeched, obviously not having liked the coward way he was pushed to the side. His attack soon followed, blinding everyone for a couple of seconds from the bright light and the sudden rise of the temperature. The horse neighed one last time, as it returned to its bit chip, Carina glancing over at it, her lips set in a thin line, not looking pleased.

The slate haired teen frowned at her behaviour as Dranzer disappeared into his own bit chip, returning back to him afterwards. He turned around on his heels, heading for the bench, eyes closed.

: I apologise for not having protected you, Master Kai. :

_'It's just a couple of scratches. We were caught by surprise, Dranzer. Don't worry about it.' _A soft glow was given from the blade in his hand instead of a reply. A persistent tug on his scarf made him turn around, ready to glare at whomever it was.

Iris was already ahead of him on that, frowning, "You're hurt."

One slate eyebrow lifted in amusement, "I never thought you cared, Blanchett."

The slight concern in her eyes was immediately replaced. Her frown was still in place, though for other reasons, "Ungrateful bastard."

"That, coming from the girl who refused help the day we found her." They both started to walk away towards the changing rooms, the rest of the team snickering behind them.

Muttering something under her breath that was probably in her native language, she glared at him, obviously stopping herself from swearing in front of the younger teens. Under her breath, a growled "Damn you." was heard though.

DJ Jazzman tried to make his voice higher than the crowd's cheer, "AAAAND YES, IT'S THE BLADEBREAKERS! THEY WAN, AND AS YOU KNOW, THEY'RE IN THE FINALS!"

The BladeBreakers did their best to escape the crowd by exiting the building quickly, as the fans ran after them, screaming their heads off.

"Yeah, yeah, YEAH, that's it! Oh, they love me, they love me!" Tyson shouted to the crowd, as he was dragged away by the others.

"Tyson, shut up!"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

The five days that followed the semi-finals were used to train, as usual, despite the injuries the captain still had. But nothing could ever forbid Kai Hiwatari from training. Let's not forget: he was a perfectionist, and there was nothing no one, **no one**, could say to make him think otherwise.

"Kai..." Iris's patience was by a thread, like it usually was in the last few days with the dual haired teen, since he kept insisting he should train, "Some may bleed if you do something rash. They'll open and it won't be pretty when you're in the middle of your match."

"Honestly, do I look like I care?"

"Umm, no, not really, but-" at his smirk, her eyes narrowed to small slits.

From the wall, Ian snickered, "Oye, that was never a good sign, you know, Hiwatari. And I know that first hand." The boy's snickering soon stopped as the female glared daggers at him.

"That's beyond the point... Hiwatari." The amused look in the slate haired teen's features was replaced by the quirking of his eyebrow.

"Since when do you address me by my surname?"

"Since now. And it's your own fault. Anyway, go back to bed, **now**, I'll take care of the training today." One could almost see the electrical sparks crackling all around her, her eyes flashing with annoyance.

"I also need to train, and I will. That's final." Stubbornly, Kai crossed his arms over his chest, head turned slightly away from her.

"No, it's **not**!" she suddenly stomped her foot childishly, making most of the bladers watching the scene sweat-drop. "Hey, get back here!"

He had begun to walk away, a slight swagger on his steps. Thin ice he was walking on, he knew. Not that that minded the youngest Hiwatari, of course. "Make me." Kai looked over his shoulder at her, challenge shinning in his eyes, a challenge which she was way too angry to care about. She was mad...

The elastic that normally kept her hair up in a tight, almost painful looking ponytail, which was obviously harsh for her poor hair, had long fell to the ground, the dark locks framing her face, bringing out her slightly tanned features in just the right way. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides and, despite the glaring, her glinting eyes were alluring.A smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth, knowing he was the cause of all that.

_'No words...there're simply **NO WORDS**! He's having fun with this... He's amused, he's downright SMIRKING, he's MOCKING me...' _

: And with all due respect, Mistress, you are losing it. : her bit beast added in an innocent tone, though Iris picked up the amusement behind it, triggering her even more.

"Kai Hiwatari, if you don't get your ass back into that bed, I swear I'm going to strangle you with your scarf!" her speech had changed from insulting and vain reasoning to real threats.

"No." the smirk was still in place, "You would, if you were able to catch it. Which you aren't." His cue. He exited the room quickly. '_1, 2, 3 and let it rip.'  
_  
"AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Even from the end of the stairs, he flinched at the loud sound. Letting the amused smirk make its way to his lips, his eyes closed softly as the cold wind from outside hit him. The temperature was nice enough to sun bathe, still the wind was always cold, since they were close to the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean.

The rest of his day was spent training in the Old Meadow, not that he was aware of that. He had found it once when he was walking around the city and his curiosity got the better of him. "Dranzer!"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

That night, the BladeBreakers retired early to bed; the next day would be a long one. Everything was quiet, except for Tyson's loud snoring in one of the rooms. But in Ray, Kai and Iris' room, the female couldn't sleep peacefully. Turning and breathing raggedly, her pupils dilating, the dream was haunting her.

««Dream»»  
Her panting was everything she could hear, her sides ached, her throat was dry. Yet she kept running, she couldn't stop, not now, and not ever. That same nightmare was repeating itself in the last few nights and not once had it failed to scare her to death. But this time... This time, it went beyond Kai's murder.

Iris was running along a long corridor. One of the countless the Valkov Abbey has, that much she knew. The silence was getting to her, it always had. If this kept up, she'd probably break. She couldn't, wouldn't allow that. '_This place has haunted me too much as it is. A simple memory of it **won't** success in what Boris tried to success!' _

Finally stopping to catch her breath, she was careful to do it when she spotted a darkened hallway that led to the side, in case any guards passed by. Her gut told her she was alone here, but she didn't want to risk it. She leaned against one of the walls of said alley, calming her thumping heart, forcing the air into her painfully thirsting throat and into her heaving lungs. Her eyes closed as she reached out with her mind, trying to feel the comforting presence of her faithful bit beast.

A strangled gasp was forced out of her abused throat. '_Lugiohan...'_ Where she was supposed to be there was a void, an empty space which wasn't supposed to be there ever since she was six.

Her eyes slowly focused on the dark environment around her. They soon widened as she took in what was in front of her.

**YOU ALL SHALL DIE FOR THE CRIMES YOU HAVE COMMITTED. I WILL LEAVE NO WITNESSES AND THE WORLD YOU KNOW WILL NO LONGER EXIST. **

The bold letters greeted her, glistening on the wall mockingly, eerily, making her remember something else. Blood. Still wet and dripping onto the wall.

One hand came up to her mouth in an uncharacteristic horrified way as she took a step back, away from the message, away from that corridor, though her eyes didn't left it.

Before she could do anything, the scenery changed all around her. After the feeling of dizziness had passed, the girl found herself in some kind of a high point of a dome-like building. Her ears picked up cheers and loud whistles, comments being said somewhere, which she was too confused to even start listening. Leaning over the railings of the high corridor she supposed she was in, she looked down as soon as her eyes had adjusted to the bright lights of the place. Her eyes widened.

Her silvery hues spotted a large crowd, not an empty seat in sight. Listening with more attention, she could clearly understand. Portuguese, no doubt, that was the language they were using. In the middle of the whole thing was a big round ordinary bey-dish. In one of the sides of it, there were the BladeBreakers and herself, which did nothing more than confuse her even more. She could see them speaking quietly among themselves, Kai and her dream form only commenting once in a while. Opposite to them were the Shadowed Blades, Sarabela already taking her position to battle, staring calmly over to the other team, a smirk on her lips. Iris shivered inwardly. _'Why am I dreaming with the finals?'  
_  
Finally, seconds that seemed to take hours passed by, and her double-self stepped forward, climbing up the stairs to the bey-stadium, the younger girl's smirk widening with every step she took.

Both blades were launched, just as the dizziness over came her sight again. Once her eyes opened again, she noticed she was on the first row of the same combat, though in a more advanced stage. Both bit beasts were out of their chips, eyes shining in respect and hatred, their owners glaring daggers at each other.

Black Dranzer charged forward again, heading first to Lugiohan but at the last minute, his direction changed as he flapped his black wings once. Sharp dark feathers headed to her dream form instead of the Thunder Phoenix, most of them hitting their target.

Eyes wide and confused, Iris watched as her other self fell to her knees, her arms fisting her hair, the ponytail undone from one of the feathers. The stadium was deadly quiet, as her team-mates started to run towards her, Tala and the others doing the same thing, jumping over the railings of the stands.

As they were almost reaching the fallen blader, Lugiohan rose from the ground she had been thrown into, her white and red wings letting out a strange silver glitter as she flapped them. A last, sad desperate cry was heard from the phoenix, a single large tear falling from one of her bright emerald eyes as she completely disappeared. Not into her beyblade. Into the sky and out of the building.

No one moved but Black Dranzer, who moved forward, his claws giving out a metallic sound as they clenched over the edge of the stadium. Behind him, Sarabela fell, no longer moving, a thin trickle of blood pouring from her mouth. Lowering his neck, the beak of the phoenix touched Iris's side, a dark aura spreading all over her body starting with that same contact point. Lifting his beak again in the direction Lugiohan had gone to, his wings opened wide.  
**  
: YOU ALL SHALL DIE FOR THE CRIMES YOU COMMITTED. I WILL LEAVE NO WITNESSES AND THE WORLD YOU KNOW WILL NO LONGER EXIST. :  
**  
With the booming voice of the Dark Phoenix, panic was installed. People running everywhere, giving her no visibility towards the end of the battle or what was to happen.

When she finally managed to lean over the railings to jump over them, the surroundings changed once more, the dizzy feeling returning to her tenfold...  
««End Dream»»

Iris woke up with a start, sitting upright on the bed immediately, gasping for breath, trying to calm down her overloading senses. '_What kind of a bloody nightmare was that?'  
_  
Looking around quickly, both boys in the beds beside hers were still asleep. '_At least I didn't scream this time...'_ Frowning lightly, she got up. 2.06am, the digital clock read.

Filling a cup of water, her feet took her to the balcony. Pulling the delicate chain that connected both ends of her necklace, she lifted Lugiohan's bit chip up to her eyes.

: Your mind is troubled, Mistress. Tomorrow will be a complicated day; you should go back to sleep. :

_'I know, my friend, I know. It's just that... That dream.'  
_  
: Dream? .:

_'Fine, a nightmare.'_ There was a pause.

: That is odd... I did not notice any dream... :

Shrugging to herself, her head tilted back, her eyes reflecting the bright stars above, '_I'm sure it's nothing to worry about...' _

: If you say so, Mistress. Have a good rest, I bid you good-night. : despite the motherly tone, Iris knew her bit beast was still puzzling about the said 'dream'.

Wrinkling her nose at the thought, she went back inside, sliding the doors of the balcony shut a bit more harshly than she should. Her shoulders tensed as the **bang** resonated, but no sound of waking up was heard. Actually, it was all silent. The exception being the frequent rustle of the blankets and of course, Tyson's snoring. _  
_  
Iris sat at the edge of her bed, her feet on the slightly warm wooden floor, still lost in thought. The rustle and movement in front of her snapped her back to reality, as Kai turned to lie on his other side, now facing her.

A smile curved her lips upwards as she looked at his calm features. Eyelids closed softly, the dark thick lashes brushing the skin of his cheek bones ever so lightly. The slate hair was spilled messily over the pillow and covering part of his features, even spikier than it usually was.

Kai's eyebrows furrowed together for some seconds before relaxing again, as she slide on the bed next to him. She snuggled close to him, both her hands tucked neatly under her chin, too scared to touch him instead. Wide eyes looked up to his still sleeping face before she allowed them to close.

A soft sigh left her lips, tousling a few of his bangs, not that anyone noticed that. Tiredness overcame her a few minutes later as she finally let the darkness take over her consciousness.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Kai woke up as one particular sun ray decided to hit his eyelids. Opening his eyes sleepily, he looked over his shoulder. 6.17am. _'I wake up at exactly 6.30... Damn the sun light...' _Only then did his half-asleep senses let him know he wasn't really alone in the bed. Looking down, a mass of reds and blacks mixed messily met his eyes. Iris had her back to his chest and from the looks of it, was comfortably asleep.

Quirking an eyebrow, he reached over, his hand running through her hair gently before settling on her shoulder.

"Mornin' to you too... I'm... awake..." one of her hands lifted somewhat lazily, waving over her shoulder in a dismissive fashion.

"And why exactly are you in **my** bed, by the way?" his hand fell from her shoulder, twirling a wisp of pitch black hair between his fingers.

The reason suddenly came back to her, her sleepiness vanishing, "Couldn't sleep. Had a glass of water and decided to come here instead." Course that the reason as to **why** that happened wasn't included.

His eyes narrowed immediately, the twirling stopping abruptly, "And why couldn't you sleep?"

"It was just a stupid dream." she shrugged in what she thought was a casual way, getting up before he decided to question further. Questions which required answers she had not. Picking up her clothes for the day and taking off her overly large t-shirt, the female headed to the bathroom.

She let out a quiet gasp, leaning against the wall suddenly, a blue blur passing right beside her left eye. Landing on the ground with a quiet metallic click, Dranzer spun on the same spot a few feet away from her. Looking down, standing out against the whiteness of the tiles underneath her bare feet, were a few of her hairs, cut due to the fastness the top passing by her. Looking behind her sharply, she glared at the responsible, "What do you want to do, injure one of your bladers? Or worst, kill them? What if I turned my head?"

"You wouldn't." casually, the boy leaned against the opposite wall of the corridor, "Why couldn't you sleep?"

Iris's eyes looked away from him, "Please... I don't want to talk about it."

Rolling his eyes and muttering "Women.." under his breath, he picked up Dranzer, who was now spinning near his feet, "Some time, you'll have to. The truth will come around anyway. Why not now, when no one's around to hear it?"

"Because. I'm not ready, ok? Sorry..." she couldn't bare to look at him for long. The sight of him dead was still haunting her. Nothing that a cold shower couldn't take care of.

She closed them. "Yes, it was. But this time, it was far worse." Walking to the shower, she turned the water on, "I need some privacy, Kai." She sighed, not looking at him. So little time has passed, and she trusted him like no other. But right now, the memories of his lifeless body were still too fresh on her mind. Iris only moved again when she heard the door closing softly. '_Was I too hard on him? He only wanted to help...'  
_  
After a refreshing shower, she painted her black triangles again, letting her hair loose. Changing into her usual black pants, black and white boots and a tight black sleeveless top, she was ready for one of the most important matches of her life. She came out of the bathroom and headed to the couch, where most of her friends were. Worriedly, she noticed Kai wouldn't look at her. Her head lowered to the floor, '_I just hope I'll have some time to apologise. It wasn't his fault...'  
_  
"Can anyone just put this thing right!" Ray's irritated voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Said boy appeared at the door of his bedroom, trying to smooth down his long dark hair, which seemed to be in a lot more than the usual tangles.

"Sit down on the couch; I'll see what I can do." Doing so, Iris did manage to help him out after ten long minutes of light hissing and yelping from the Chinese boy.

The morning passed quickly, and soon enough, it was time for their battle, at 15.35pm.

As they were leaving the hotel room for breakfast, Iris leaned against the wall, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, feeling a sudden pain inside her head, which was soon turning out to be almost unbearable. Hissing quietly and reaching up to rub her temple, she slowly fell to her knees, crying out from the sharp increasing of the pain the motion brought.

"Iris?"

"Say something, Iris!"

"Iris, what is it?" Kai.

"Iris... Rin, what's wrong?" Tala.

"Kai, Yuriy... Make it stop, make it stop!" she repeated over and over again, the pain steadily getting stronger. And just as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone. The girl opened her eyes gingery, seeing everything blurry, slowly being able to make out colours and faces.

Everyone was looking at her while she was kneeling on the floor. Her tensed up muscles relaxed partially as she waited for the strength to get up.

Tala seemed aware of that and stretched out his hand to her, pulling her to her feet gently, masked worry shining at the back of his electric blue eyes, "What happened?"

Mahogany eyes took in her oddly pale skin, their owner not speaking though. She could tell Kai would say something else if they were alone, other than this.

The girl suddenly reminded herself of her best friend's question, "I don't know, just a sharp pain in my head. I'm fine now." Everyone was still staring at her, as if waiting for her to break down again. A frown formed on her normally relaxed features.

"Umm, are you sure?" for once, she noticed Tyson was actually concerned about something else other than food.

"I. Am. Fine. I **said** I was fine, so I am! Stop worrying over me already." The last part was a mere annoyed hiss, her arms crossing over her chest.

"It never happened before, Iris." The redhead spoke up quietly, giving her a look. He wouldn't stop until he had an explication, she was sure of it.

She sighed, "First, I thought it was that thing of getting drained again, it felt like that. But then, pain shot through my head. Nothing more, nothing less. You can drop the subject."

Rubbing her temple, she tried to ignore the head ache that was starting to form. Glaring at them all for their meaningless concern, she headed towards the stairs. It wasn't their fault, she knew, but she just wasn't used to. In the Abbey, it was everyone for themselves; that was how she was raised, the rule number one.

: Mistress, who are you trying to fool? Why not telling them the truth, little one? .:

_'What truth, Lugiohan? Not even **I** know what the hell's wrong with me, let alone them! What good would it do, anyway?'  
_  
: They only want to help- :

_'They can't, my friend. No one can.' _Iris turned the corner, heading for the canteen, interrupting the Thunder Phoenix; _'You know that as well as I do.'_

Lugiohan had lifted questions she was tired of asking herself. _'The truth...'_ Why was she tired? All her life she has done the same thing time and time again and this had never happened before. And what was this draining all about? And why the pain? Why now, just before the finals?

: Maybe it has something to do with the Shadowed Blades. Maybe someone or some**thing** wants you to lose concentration, child. : a deep different voice echoed in the recesses of her mind, its presence trying to be comforting.

_'I don't know, Dranzer. Maybe... I'm just too confused right now.'  
_  
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

After a good breakfast, a walk through the labyrinth like older part of the city and lunch, the BladeBreakers, Demolition Boys, Majestic's and the White Tigers met just outside the BladeBreakers' hotel, and made their way to the stadium together.

"Feel alright for today's match?" Tala caught up with her, eyes not leaving the ground.

"Yuriy." Her voice held annoyance, hoping he'd get the picture, "I'm not nine years old anymore, I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt that." He finally glanced at her, "But you cried out. Something I rarely ever saw you doing, Iris."

"You can change, though. You don't have to battle today." Kai appeared on the other side of her.

"No!" she snarled through clenched teeth, almost daring them to say otherwise. Her eyes had changed to a vibrant red colour, glinting dangerously. Both boys quirked an eyebrow at her. She had never spoken to either of them quite like that before. "I want to battle, and I will! Don't you two dare stopping me." She took Lugiohan's bit chip out of her pendant, putting it back on her blade. Her grip on her beyblade was so tight the sharpened edges actually cut through the skin, "I **will** defeat Kuznetsov along with her damned team!" _'And then, Boris will know who he's dealing with. I'll destroy the Abbey with my bare hands if I have to, but that thing's going down. Even if it's the last thing I'll do.'_

Tala slowed down, rather leaving her alone than trying to change her mind; he knew her well enough to know that it was a waste of time. The bluenette walking alongside of her didn't, but kept quiet through the rest of the small walk.

After the other teams left them to go back to the stands, they all surrounded Chief, facing Dizzy, revising their stronger and weaker points and their adversaries', last warnings and advices.

As they all started to leave the changing rooms to head towards the bey stadium, Kai glanced over at her, locking their eyes, glaring at her just as she glared back. The others got the picture, as they kept going; those two needed to sort a few things out first. Alone.

None of them wanted to give in, stubborn by nature as both of them were. The matter at hand needed to be discussed though, and with that in mind, did Kai close his eyes, looking away from her.

The boy leaned back against the door frame, his unruly bangs sending his eyes into shadow. A silent sigh escaped from his slightly parted lips.

"Just promise me you won't stop me. Please." She asked quietly, the simple request echoing in the almost empty room.

"If I do, I'll lose you. Lose you to **them**." His head lifted just a fraction, just enough to let her see the anger mixing with reluctance and hurt in his dark eyes, "Do you think I will let you do that? You're everything I've left. Boris took everything I once had, innocence, happiness, the sense of love. Even that was beaten out of me. And now, I'll promise I'll just stand by and let them take you?"

She dared not to look into his eyes as her feet crossed the short distance that separated them. Afraid to see what was in his eyes after that sentence. Her hand reached up, fisting the front of his scarf, bringing his head down. Her lips brushed over his as she spoke quietly, her voice holding a confidence she was sure she didn't truly feel, "You won't lose me. That much, I can promise you. I just found you, yet I know I can't be happy without you." Her other hand rested over his chest lightly, as she repeated, "You won't lose me."

The feeling of her lips against his own sent a shiver down his spine. His hand rested over the small of her back, pulling her closer, his lips capturing hers in a kiss. Not a gentle but harsh one, desperate, wanting. As they parted for lack of oxygen, the last contact of their lips left unaccomplished promises of what was yet to come. Of what may not be accomplished after today's battles.

"I promise." The two whispered words took a couple of minutes to make sense in her fogged mind, and a couple more for her to understand what exactly was he talking about. A small smile curved her lips. "It's time." they nodded in unison, before exiting the changing rooms, meeting up with the rest of the team at the end of the hall.

"HERE WE HAVE THE BLADEBREAKERS' CAPTAIN, KAI HIWATARI! NEXT, WE HAVE OUR FAVOURITE CHINESE 'BLADER, RAYMOND KON! RIGHT AFTER HIM, THE CRAZY BLONDE AMERICAN MAAAAAAAAAAAX TATE! THEN WE HAVE CHIEF, THE ONLY INACTIVE MEMBER AND TECHNICIAN, AND AFTER HIM, OUR WORLD CHAMP, TYSON GRANGER!" taking a small pause to let the newest wave of fans' screaming, Jazzman cleared his throat lightly before continuing, "AND LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, WE HAVE THE NEWEST FEMALE 'BLADER, IRIS C. BLANCHETT!" this time, boys' whistling was also heard, along with the usual crude comments too, "I'VE HEARD RUMOURS THAT SHE'S WITH TALA IVANOV, WONDER IF THAT'S TRUE... MANY BOYS HAVE THEIR EYES ON THIS FEMALE SPIT-FIRE, YET THERE'S NOT MUCH KNOWN ABOUT HER!"

As she finally entered everyone's field of vision, the whistles and clapping got louder. Her fringe kept her face in the shadows till almost her chin, and despite her admirers' and fans' cheering, she didn't bother to lift her head. Black pants gave her all the movement she wanted and the black sleeveless crop top completed the outfit. Of course, always with her black and white and black gloves up to her elbows. Iris came to a stop at the BladeBreakers' bench and sat down, quickly folding her arms and legs.

"Hmm..." Tyson's elbow poked her on the ribs in a teasing way, "You, with Tala?" He leaned over her shoulder, voice quietening in a conspiring way, "Nah... You're hanging out with Mr. Sourpuss over there, that right?" his index finger scratched the skin under his nose, his midnight blue eyes glinting knowingly, "Hehe, I know, I know, he may be all I-don't-care-about-girls-and-I-don't-have-time-for-girlfriends-like, but in the end he's as soft as- OUCH!" Iris never knew the end of Tyson's sentence, as a well-aimed can of coke connected with the navy-haired boy's temple.

"Kai, I was only joking! Ah, that hurts!" Tyson massaged the spot gingerly, muttering under his breath, the words "Kai" and "stupid", the more used ones.

Kai leaned against one of the two posts of their bench, his mahogany hues sweeping over Iris. She was nervous, he could tell. If crossing and uncrossing her legs over and over again, and the quick tapping of her fingers in her forearm were any signs of such. Her face was hidden by her hair, but her rosy lips were pressed into a thin line, proof of her apprehension. _'She's nervous because of **him**.'_ His head turned to the other side of the stadium, looking over the stands, his stare stopping at the smirking face of a certain purple haired scientist that called himself Boris. And right beside him, was his Grandfather. Voltaire was looking their way, but for once, Kai had the feeling he wasn't looking at him. His fists clenched, his eyes returning to look at the girl behind him, _'You'll **never** have her. I don't care about what happens to me, but she will be safe from you, Boris or anyone else.'_ His lips curled back from his teeth in a silent snarl.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Tala sat two rows behind Boris, along with Bryan while Ian and Spencer were in the row behind Voltaire, watching their every move. _'BIOVOLT, your pupils will be the death of your whole damn corporation...' _the red-haired teen smirked to himself.

"Think she's able to win?"

The boy looked sideways at the other's question. Slowly, he shook his head negatively, replying in a hushed whisper, "I don't think Lugiohan has that much power. Black Dranzer is fully using your sister. In Kai's case, he was conscious of what he was doing, hence the reason why he left it. Sarabela isn't. If Iris does win, she'll probably pass out afterwards." A flicker of denial flashed through his bright blue orbs; if one blinked, they would miss it, "Or even die while trying."

Bryan nodded curtly, "And.. what if they try something?" his light eyes glanced over at Boris, then at Voltaire, "You noticed all the scientists around the place as good as the rest of us; they're up to something."

Turquoise eyes closed, "I know. But if they do... I don't think I'd let them get away with it again. Not this time. She's all I have left still." His lips curled back from his teeth, "I let them have her. Look what happened. They broke her, raped her, tortured her. Then, I let quite the same happen to Ten. And now, the past is repeating itself. I won't allow that." Hardened eyes snapped open, "No way. Not again."

The lavender haired youth nodded to himself, glancing over at the silver eyed girl in question. His hues ran over the crowd, catching sight of the scientists again, If they're hoping they'll do the same to her as they did to Tala and let them get away... You've got another thing coming, Boris.

As the crowd quietened considerably, everyone's heads turned to look at the Shadowed Blades. They paid the multitude no mind as they walked over to their bench, sitting down. Only Chad kept standing, arms crossed over his chest, looking at Jazzman.

"AND HERE THEY ARE, FOLKS! ONE OF THESE TEAMS WILL LEAVE THE STADIUM AS THE NEW CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE! TO DECIDE THAT, WE'LL HAVE THREE MATCHES, EACH ONE WITH THREE ROUNDS! FOR THIS FIRST BATTLE, WE HAVE BOTH CAPTAINS. CHAD AND KAI, PLEASE STEP FORWARD."

Chad climbed up the three steps, reaching his side of the stadium, his eyes flicking over to Iris's restless frame, a knowing smirk suddenly forming on his lips. Kai stepped in front of him, readying Dranzer on his launcher, blocking his view from her.

"You don't know what really happened to her..." the boy's head tilted to the side mockingly, the smirk still in place, "Do you?"

A light grey coloured eyebrow lifted in question, a question shining in his usually emotionless hues. True, he had never asked what exactly happened to Iris; every time the other bladers had tried, she curiously went deaf and mute until the subject was changed. But... Had it been even more than rape and torture?

Chad chuckled quietly, giving out the feeling he knew something they didn't even dream of. Slowly, he shook his head softly, "And here I thought you knew Boris. You do know what happened to Ivanov, or don't you know about **that** detail either? Better saying, Cyber Tala."

"Who wouldn't? Trained from a young age to be a top beyblader, being genetically enhanced to ensure victory, courtesy of Boris. What does that have to do with anything?"

Dark eyes rolled, "You mean a light bulb hasn't gone off yet even after I said that? Do I even need to remind you?" the smirk returned, "Boris likes pretty faces, ne..." he paused for effect, seeming to enjoy every second of the bluenette's realization he hadn't wanted to even start to imagine as possible ever since he knew she grew up at the Abbey, "But you should know he adores experiences as well. Even more, maybe." He shrugged almost carelessly, "Who knows?"

Ever so slightly, his eyes widened, "You mean... She.. he-" He looked at the boy unbelievingly, then back at Iris and finally, over at Boris. _'No.'_ No, no, no, that was all wrong, wrong! He couldn't, wouldn't dare... '_Would he?'_

Laughter escaped Chad's parted lips, plain mocking, aiming to irritate him even more, "Are you really that blind? I mean, all of you? How could she be just a normal human? With all the powers she possesses?"

Kai was starting to lose the thin patience he had had until now. "What powers are you blabbing about, damn it?" he growled through gritted teeth.

The other teen shook his head, still smiling teasingly, "Who in the world do you know that is able to talk to other bit beasts that aren't their own? Even their owners find it difficult to have such a strong bond that actually allows them the ability to speak, let alone allow **her** to speak as well? Who else do you know that can use the pure raw energy that only a bit beast is capable of using and controlling it?" the smile was replaced by another wicked smirk, "Who the fuck is able to control every damn bit beast in the universe, by sheer force of her own will and whim, other than Iris Catherine Blanchett?"

Every head turned to look at the black-haired silver-eyed young woman. She was wide eyed, her lips slightly parted, as the information sank into her now numb mind.

_'I can speak with Dranzer, for example... And I do use Lugiohan's energy when I was too weak from the beatings I received, using it to my own benefit...'  
_  
**: And you are able to control me if you so wish to so, little one... :**

The mysterious dark voice echoed over her mind, making her flinch slightly as its presence let her slowly know of everything she was really capable of doing, of everything she was able to control, of **everything** she could destroy. She shook her head softly. _'No. It's not possible! No! Gods, please let this be a nightmare..._'

: I-I apologise, Mistress... : the sad tone of her bit beast's voice clearly confirmed her worst fears. Unfortunately, it was all true.

Her knees hit the floor hard, her whole attention concentrated on the information that was given to her to even notice the slight pain. _'So that's it? Boris did this? These..._ powers _I have? I didn't even know they **were** powers! I thought anyone could speak with other bit beasts... How... How was I supposed to know... Why... Why me?'_

Her head snapped up as five presences made themselves known in her mind. Looking to her friends, Kai, Tyson, Max and Ray had taken out their beyblade's, their respective bit chips shining brightly, as was Dizzy's monitor.

: You are the Chosen One,  
The One the stars speak of,  
Praeceptrix, you are called,  
Spreader of peace,  
The one whom will bring  
Back the lost Balance. :

"AAAAANNND 3... 2...1!... LET IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPP!" DJ Jazzman shouted loudly, waking everyone out of their thoughts.

Both beyblade's touched the dish at the same time, clashing together once, before separating due to the two opposite elements; Water Serpent versus Fire Phoenix.

Kai turned his attention to the battle, opening his mind to Dranzer as he felt the familiar sensation of being one with the mighty bit beast. Shaking off the shock of the sudden knowledge about Iris's past, his eyes hardened, a light frown etching on his features.

"If you're just going to stand there... Szykraft, chase him; I don't have all day."

An intimidating hiss was heard as a large serpent came out of the dark and light blue 'blade, letting its forked tongue slide out menacingly at the crowd, before ebony slits eyes rested on the boy in front of it. A glint was soon seen shining in their depths, gleaming with unspoken threats.

_'Dranzer, he's planning something. Be careful.'_

: Do not worry, youngling. :

Szykraft advanced on Dranzer, chasing him around as the phoenix did his best to escape the sharp fangs. "Catch him." The serpent's tail suddenly leapt in the air, taking a tight hold on Dranzer's neck, making him crash on the ground hard, letting out an indignant screech.

Its head pulled back, seemingly to finish him off, but other than that, it turned backwards, looking over at Kai. The tongue came out of its mouth again, tasting the air, the attentive slits not leaving the teen.

_'Dranzer, slam and attack with Fire Arrow.'_

The dark blue beyblade sped forward, slamming head on, on its opponent, as Dranzer's talons cut right through the tender reptilian skin, before retreating and finish it off with his trademark attack. Szykraft hissed and spitted everywhere, writhing on the floor before finally returning to the beyblade it belonged to. Chad caught it, frowning at it, then at the other boy. "Plain luck."

"Whatever." Dranzer landed on his outstretched hand, as he placed it back on the launcher, "Let's just get this over with and be ready to lose again."

Chad's devious smirk returned again, "So sure of ourselves, aren't we? I wouldn't count on that if I were you." Once more, the blades landed smoothly on the stadium after the countdown for the second match.

Both bit beasts didn't lose any time in attacking each other; fangs, tails, talons... everything was being used to cause harm on the other, the hatred, dislike and rivalry from each blader growing at each passing second.

"Szykraft!"

"Dranzer!"

The beyblade's spared with one another, unwilling to submit to the other's power. And as one last blow struck, the serpent finally left the neck on neck position, starting to do laps around the dish instead. Dranzer, feeling trapped inside the circle the other was performing, followed suit. Suddenly, the other made a sharp U turn, crashing

heavily into the navy blue beyblade's side, making it wobble slightly, the snake's fangs making two large gashes on Dranzer's side. One of his hands covered his side, a faint ache felt there; his dark hues hardened. Looming over the hurt phoenix, and standing over twenty feet tall in all its size, the dark slits rested over Kai's form again. The glint returned as its mouth opened, some sort of daggers coming from it.

"Daggers of Death, Szykraft!"

"Kai, get out of there!"

"Watch out!"

"Please, Kai, move, do something!"

Just as everyone was sure the multicoloured daggers would touch his skin, a barrier was formed right between him and the bey-stadium, vivid red in colour, almost as if bathed in a light sheen of endless fire. Dranzer rose, wings flapping powerfully, the silky looking feathers of the tips of them seemingly brushing over Kai's shoulders, as the bird looked down at the Water Serpent, hatred and power shining in his dark eyes. : You've committed a very grave miscalculation... You should have never attacked young Kai; this battle is between us. :

Tilting his head back, Dranzer screeched loudly, flying higher. Stopping just as he was going to hit the ceiling, he flew back towards Szykraft; his sharp talons cutting through the fragile skin of the snake, making the bit beast disintegrate bit by bit. Screeching one last time, now more melodically, the phoenix looked once at his guardian, dropping his head in a silent nod before returning to his beyblade. Still spinning vigorously, Dranzer clashed forcefully onto the other beyblade, successfully destroying it, the little pieces falling near Chad, who looked at the disaster in front of him with disbelief. The dark eyes of the boy narrowed almost immediately, "Meh. I'll have my revenge soon enough. And it will be served cold..." an odd glint was shining in his eyes as an eerie smile curved his lips, "Very, very cold."

The Phoenix simply lifted an eyebrow at him, his curiosity picking, wondering what the other was talking about. But still, he said nothing. Maybe it was better.

Or maybe not.

"UMM, YEAH, AND... AS KAI KINDA.. ERRM, DESTROYED CHAD'S BEYBLADE, THAT MAKES HIM THE WINNER OF THIS FIRST ROUND, MAINLY BECAUSE CHAD CANNOT REPLACE HIS BEYBLADE IN THE SPARE FIVE MINUTES TO DO SO! CONGRATULATIONS TO KAI, AND OF COURSE, TO THE BLADEBREAKERS!" clapping and whistling were heard as Kai descended the few stairs back to the bench, lifting his arm to retrieve Dranzer as he flew back into his hand.

"That was a great battle!"

"Yeah, excellent!"

"Yup, you can say that again!"

"Excellent!"

"Err I was only kidding, Max..."

"Oh."

The captain sat back on the bench beside Iris, eyes closing, "Your turn, Ray."

The Chinese blader nodded, standing up, Drigger in his hand, launcher in his other one.

"PLEASE, RAY AND KYO, COME FORWARD! THE SECOND COMBAT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"

_'Kyo... That's the guy who challenged me that other day.'_ Dark eyebrows furrowed together, his amber eyes, usually sharp but soft, hardened. The two following matches were short-lived, rough and unexpected. A simple gesture of Kyo's hand, and his beyblade disappeared from sight, confusing both Ray and Drigger and knocking the grey blade out of the dish twice in less than five minutes. The ex-White Tiger returned to his seat, looking disappointed and defeated. The sharp edge of the White Tiger's attack rings cut the boy's fingertip as he traced the blade, not that he noticed.

"What was that all about, Ray!" Tyson stood over the older boy, frowning. Receiving no answer whatsoever, the Dragon growled, "Were you even paying attention up there? How could you let that guy pull you down like that! You're the fastest of us!"

"Tyson..." Kai decided to intervene. We don't need problems right now., And certainly not in a time like this. "Just shut up, will you? Ray did his best. What matters is that we're still on the tournament, still fighting for the title. We're tied. Do us all a favour and shut your trap." His mahogany hues turned to glance sideways at the girl beside him.

Iris turned her head to look at him ever so slightly, nodding. Getting up, she saw Sarabela do the same from the corner of her eye. The younger girl looked quite calm, almost even relaxed. Black Dranzer was held in her hand, a black dot between such a pale skin, temptation tainting innocence, and as the girl looked at it, the bit chip shined, as if he knew something she didn't. Iris climbed the small steps and stood in front of her opponent, eyes narrowed.

"Why, Blanchett, nice to see you again..."

"Shut it, Kuznetsov."

The girl ignored the comment, "I see you are being cautious. Not unusual of you; I'd forgotten that trait of yours." She gestured to the stands, "My brother, Ivanov, Spencer and Ian... though it's useless. I'll defeat you, and just because your friends and boyfriend are here, that doesn't mean a thing to me. Black Dranzer will possess you and I will be able to control the most powerful bit beast of this planet and as he'll be controlling you and your powers..." her pale light eyes flashed a dark colour, adding in a hiss, "I will control every other bit beast. And all because of you. Don't you feel honoured?"

Closing her eyes tightly, the black haired blader blocked her voice from her mind, "Shut up! I don't want to hear it! It's a stupid damn lie! I won't let it happen, I won't, I **won't**!"

"AAAAAAANND 3... 2... 1...! LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET IT RIIIIIIIIIPPP!"

The beyblade's brushed against each other before landing on opposite sides of the stadium, Lugiohan losing her balance for a second.

"Uh oh..."

Everyone in the BladeBreakers' bench turned to look at Kenny.

"For as long as I lived, no 'uh oh' was ever good. What's happening?" Tyson looked away from the battle, sitting down, watching it carefully through Dizzy's recording.

"I forgot... Black Dranzer is an exact copy of Dranzer, whether in the bit beast and in the design of the beyblade. Which is why Kai managed to control it so quickly." Reaching over and taking the Fire Phoenix out of its Master's grip, Chief held the blade to the light, "Lugiohan's base is just the same."

"...So?" the World Champion lifted an eyebrow, "How's that a problem? They're symmetric. But Dranzer is more powerful than Black Dranzer. He was defeated once. He can be defeated again. No one is unbeatable! And, even though it pains me to say it, not even **I**'m unbeatable. And everyone thinks that's impossible!" Most people gave him a look, which the boy promptly ignored.

"It's not that, Tyson." Kenny dismounted the attack ring, pulling out the weight disk. "Here." He placed it on the navy blue haired boy's hand. Picking up a small box, which everyone knew to be the one that had every possible tool and parts in it, the young genius took out another weight disk, putting it on Tyson's other hand, "This one is made of the same material of Iris'."

"Umm, it's pretty lighter. That's good, isn't it?"

"Depends on the situations." Kai spoke up, eyes still locked into the battle up ahead, a light frown on his features, "Take that match between her and Tala for example. She lost because Wolborg was heavier. The easiest way to defeat her would be pushing her against the wall or clear off the dish. Her base or weight disk are designed to give her speed, not to give her balance or a larger endurance level. Remember her stats, three stars at attack, one at defence and two at endurance. For opponents that put her on the defence, her chances of wining with a few harsh attacks, which is her usual style, diminish quite a lot."

"Exactly. Meaning, she's in a disadvantage." Kenny bit his lip worriedly, "If Sarabela makes her go into a defensive style, I don't know how much she will be able to take."

In an instant, Black Dranzer attacked Lugiohan head on with such intensity that some parts of her weight disk actually melted, the small glints here and there giving away the fact that it was practically useless.

Other than the subtle twitch of her eyebrow, Iris's features gave nothing away about the emotions running just beneath the soft layer of her skin, the uproar tumult she was going through, the fear inside her. _'Lugiohan?'_

: I'm fine, Mistress. But my defence is damaged. : came the soft reply, calmness that was not her own invading her worried mind.

_'I thought as much.'_ The girl took a long breath; this round needed to be finished as soon as possible. She had to change that disk, she just had to. Black Dranzer played much on the attack. _'Hn.. Maybe I can use that to my advantage. Maybe.'_

"This is not over yet, Blanchett... In fact, far from that." Sarabela's strange smile returned, her arm extending, "Or then again, maybe not." Black Dranzer shined once, before a beam of light shot up into the sky. The Dark Phoenix rose, screeching loudly, flapping his black wings in an attempt of showing his power, making several people from the audience gasp in shock. The cheers of the crowd died right there, as wave after wave of dark power, even if it didn't hurt them, was swept over them; they still felt the silent threat dancing just over the surface of their skin.

**: Greetings... Iris Blanchett... We meet once again. :  
**  
Iris's lips curled back from her teeth in a snarl, her foot taking a wise step back. "Stay away from my thoughts, do you hear me? Don't you **dare** entering my mind!" An amused chuckle sounded, not caught by her ears, but sounding deep and dark in her own mind.

**: You do not have enough control over your powers to stop me from doing so, child... Even if you are able to do that. :  
**  
Before she could even think of summoning Lugiohan, the other attacked with pure raw power. The blades continued grinding together, sparks everywhere, until the slightly larger one pulled back to deliver a sharp harsh blow, sending Lugiohan out of the stadium, the defence ring completely destroyed. Iris turned her face to the side, a small bit of metal passing just beside her cheek, a scratch appearing a few seconds after, one or two drops of blood slowly falling.

"...THE BLADEBREAKERS ONLY HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO FIX THE DAMAGE, THOSE ARE THE RULES..."

Kneeling, her pale hand picked up the still fuming top. Locking her eyes with the emerald green stare of the phoenix on the bit chip, Iris took a deep breath, _'I promised I wasn't going to give up. And I never go back on my word. Therefore, I refuse to do it, to admit defeat. Lugiohan, are you with me?'  
_  
: I've always been, I always will be, Mistress. I am ready when you are ready, little one. :

Giving a small short nod, she turned around, icy blue eyes stopping on Kenny's frame. _'So be it.'_ "We're still in." walking up to the younger boy, she placed the blade in his palm, "Do what you can, Chief."

Grinning lightly, the genius knelt beside their bench, immediately starting the repairing, Max and Tyson assisting him in what they could.

Four minutes...

Chad smirked lightly from his seat, "Heh, luckily, we won't even need to win this last one..."

"Hn.." the only girl's haunted gaze rested on Kenny, "The boy's pretty smart. He might be able to do it. Or not." Another out of character smirk curved her lips.

Three minutes...

From Chief to Iris, the bright amber hues looked to and fro, Drigger being twirled fast and absently in their owner's palm, "C'mon..."

"You're more nervous than I am, and you've already battled. Calm down, Ray, I'm fine. If the Chief can't repair Lugiohan in time, I'll battle all the same." Iris's voice sounded almost vacant, her eyes glaring in the direction of the Shadowed Blades.

"What! With no defence?" the ex-White Tiger gave her a look, an ebony eyebrow shooting up. "There's no way you'd last for more than three minutes out there. Not against Black Dranzer, that is. Or against that girl."

Two minutes...

"You're forgetting that she knows 'bela's moves, since she was her teacher." Kai spoke up, getting up to stand in between the two other teens. His reddish orbs turned to look at the girl at his left, "You're underestimating Blanchett here, Ray." That single sentence brought out a light smile from said female.

One minute...

"ERRM... WILL IT TAKE MUCH LONGER?" Jazzman glanced down at his wristwatch, his other hand scratching the back of his head, "IT'S ALMOST-"

"FINISHED!" wiping his forehead, Kenny held out the beyblade up high, the polished metal catching the light and reflecting it, making certain angles twinkle gently.

The base wasn't as slender as it was before, two red marks on it as well, the tip that made contact with the surface of the stadium was now as sharp as a needle. The weight disk, or what was left of it, was replaced by a thicker one, made of what seemed to be the same material as the other one. The attack ring now had two long edges, practically touching the blade itself, sharp and dangerous looking, the same two red marks there as well, while around the bit chip, there was a silvery part.

"I present you Lugiohan D-3. Dangerous, deadly and devilish!" Tyson grinned, draping an arm around Iris's shoulders, who lifted a fine dark eyebrow in question. "Gave the name to her myself!"

"It will be called Lugiohan D, that's more like it. Stands for 'two'." Picking up the heavier top, the girl measured its weight on her hand and launcher in a short testing.

"Err... D stands for... 'two'?" the young World Champion tilted his head to the side in confusion, "Shouldn't that be a 'T'?"

"One, people would've thought that T stood for Tyson... Second, 'two', in my language is spelled D-O-I-S, 'dois'. And thirdly, the blade is **mine**!" a glare sent his way made him scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAANND 3... 2... 1... LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETT IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPP!"

Once more, just like a replay, the beyblade's crashed onto the dish, colliding in the centre, sparks flying all over the place. Rounding each other as if checking every angle of the attack rings for flaws, they both separated and started to do laps in opposite directions, occasionally grinding and trying to push the other out of the dish.

Even though everything seemed alright and balanced, a drop of sweat trickled down Iris's temple. _'I'm not used to this style... Everything had to be changed in the design, I need more time to get used to it and let my mind be one with the beyblade...' _Much to many people's amazement, the intense blue orbs closed softly, the dark lashes brushing over the pale cheek bones lightly. She relaxed her pose visibly, her back straightening, feet apart at shoulders' length, which were pulled back in a somewhat petulant way. Her head was tilted forward, the long, chin length dark bangs of her hair covering her now calm features.

A blow on the underside of the base... Pain on her lower abdomen...

Grind on the side of the attach ring... A burning sensation on her upper arm...

Clash onto the weight disk... Pressure on her ribcage...

The closed eyelids snapped open, dark pupils dilating and the irises growing, the icy blue background mixing with the ivory white. Once they focused, the sight of a calm, confident frame came to view, a shorter girl, eyes completely devoid of emotion, right in front of her. Her friend... Her enemy.

Another mocking smile was on the pale lips, "Ready?" _'Now is the time, my pet. She is weak; she has no real control over her own beyblade. You can have her now... She will be yours with no resistance in her part. It's just a matter of time now...'  
_  
**: Yes, yes, yes... :** The amused voice of the Dark Phoenix sounded quietly, dismissively.

"Black Dranzer!"

"Lugiohan!"

At the same time, both shouts sounded as if both girls were aware of each other's thoughts. Both bit beasts were summoned, one through a white beam of light, and the other through a black one: the combination of all colours of the electromagnetic spectre in one case and the lack of colour all together in the other. Screeching loudly, they flew into the air, while the beyblade's below crashed hard and powerfully. As the anger of both bladers grew, the power of their respective bit beasts grew along with them. Everything that could be seen was the two bright lights clashing together, the energy obscuring any detail and form, and everything far too bright to be supported by the fragile human eyes.

And just as suddenly at it all started, it ended. The lights were slowly extinguished for no real reason, the brightness decreasing till everyone could open their hues again with no fear of getting blind. And it wasn't just the lack of light, but the lack of the tell tale spinning of the beyblade's.

Everyone held their breath and leaned forward on their seats. The Shadowed Blades got up, following the BladeBreakers' example and walked as close as they could to the dish. Jazzman glanced at the still smoking stadium, and finally broke the apprehensive silence. Now, if after his speech, they should be happy or sad, they never knew the answer.

"YES, BOYS AND GIRLS, IT REALLY IS! A TIE! THESE EXPECTAAAAAAAACULAR BLADERS HAD A WELL DESERVED TIE! SEEMS LIKE THE THIRD MATCH IS GOING TO DECIDE WHERE THE VICTORY TRULY LIES!"

"Pff, deserved tie... With all that energy, they could as well have died. If something had distracted them, there would be such a discharge of power, everything could've gotten blown to bits including everyone present..." Kai growled quietly at the back of his throat. "And by the way this is going, it won't get pretty."

And for the first time, no one, not even Tyson, could say something to lift the captain's mood. For they thought and knew the exact same thing.

"THIIIIIIIIIIRD MATCH, TAKE IT OR JUST LEAVE IT! THIS IS IT, GIRLS! READY?" at the girls' glares, not that he cared much, DJ Jazzman continued, "AAAAAANNNDDD... 3..." Both girls readied their blades quickly, hearing the small click that said they were in place.

"2..." They crouched into their launching poses, Iris with one foot back, legs wide apart, one arm almost completely stretched out and the other bent, following the outline of her own body as she scowled deeply, fire and hatred shining in her icy hues, making eye contact, not willing to lose, while Sarabela almost knelt, arms completely stretched out and tense, features calm.

"1!..." Her fangs glistened to the bright light from the spotlights as Iris snarled defiantly, Sarabela simply giving her a mocking smirk and a shake of her head.

"LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTT IITTT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"

And from that point onwards, there was nothing no one could do. Only God knew what would happen, which side, Light or Dark, would come out the winner.

As soon as it touched the dish, Black Dranzer anticipated all of Lugiohan's movements and attacks at trying to push him clear off the dish, making her unable to attack, just allowing her to keep her defences up. Which was awfully difficult, since that was completely opposite to her style. The phoenixes were released once more, bathing the atmosphere in white and dark, not even waiting to be summoned.

Sparks flew everywhere, and the hope started to fly with them as well. A quiet hiss coming from Iris had the BladeBreakers' attention away from the intense combat for a moment. One of her hands came up to rub her temple.

: Please be careful, little one.. He is trying. :

_'I know...' _As Iris looked back at her opponent, she frowned lightly.

Sarabela's breathing was laboured and a hand over her heart showed that she was running out of energy even to keep her heart beating, the most basic of functions. Pain in her chest – compassion -, that should not be there in a time like this, could not be avoided. "Please, 'bela... Stop this. Can't you see? You're not like this, this isn't you, you don't battle like this! Black Dranzer is just using you! Once he has what he wants, he'll leave you to die! Do you want that happening?"

Even through the obvious pain she was suffering, the younger girl narrowed her eyes, snapping right back, "Shut up! You know nothing! None of you do! I'm the only one that understands Black Dranzer, the only beyblader he obeys! Me, only me! He'll help me if I need to, he always has. You... You abandoned me! My own parents abandoned me, and my brother, who promised me he'd always be with me, left me there as well! You only think of yourselves; you don't deserve to **live**!" her tirade finished with a loud screech from Black Dranzer's part as he shoved Lugiohan against one of the walls of the stadium.

"No!" tears came to her eyes, "I didn't! I didn't leave you! I-I did, but I didn't mean to! Please, you have to understand, Sarabela, you-" she sighed. How could she explain such a thing? Not she, not any of the Demolition Boys had a choice... "Please trust me. He's just using you, all he wants is a body to live in and then walk free in the universe and destroy everything while being the eternal rival of his double, Dranzer! That thing is the Dark part of Dranzer, for crying out loud! And for being a cybernetic bit beast, created by Boris, it can't leave his bit on his own! The only ways to do that is to possess his or other blader or to fuse once more with Dranzer! But if the latter happens, Dranzer will manage to control him and use his power for the Light and for himself, like he did before Black Dranzer was created. That's the reason why he fucking wants me!" she shut her eyes tightly, blocking the rest of her tears away, "Because of these cursed powers everyone keeps saying I have..." opening her eyes, not a single trace of tears in them now she continued more securely, voice rising along with her reason, Lugiohan flying up and pushing back the Dark Phoenix with more power by the second, "Why can't you see it? That he doesn't want you. He'll let you die as soon as he has me... He'd kill you himself if he thought that would get him closer to me, without second thoughts! You're alone. Alone. But you won't be, if you just let him go." A hand was stretched out towards the pale girl, who looked at it unsurely, "Come with me... With us... I'll help you. We'll all help you. Please."

For a single instant, she seemed like she would give in, but a glance from Black Dranzer's part made her stop immediately; the power he had over her was indeed incredible. Sarabela narrowed her lavender eyes at Iris, "You're gonna regret saying that, mark my words, Blanchett. I am **NOT** alone!" she lifted her arms, in some sort of an adoring, submissive, pose to the Dark Phoenix, "I am **never** alone!" her eyes suddenly changed to pitch black, shining unnaturally, her body growing tense.

The black haired girl inhaled sharply. '_Something's happening... Like..._' A quiet gasp left her lips, _'Oh my God... In the vision... That bloody vision...'_ Her stomach lurched, _'No...'_

««Flashback»»  
Black Dranzer came forward, as Sarabela fell to her knees, no longer moving. A trickle of blood poured from her mouth, the only sign that confirmed she was dead.  
««End Flashback»»

_'I'll be damned if I back down now...'_ From the corner of her eye, Iris glanced back to her team. She did not want to hurt any of them while making her decisions. This was her choice. Hence, it was her life and hers alone; she could very well kill herself if she so wanted to and not give anyone a reason. But.. That kind of situation, that only two months ago sounded so logical, now seemed selfish... Coward. Weak. And weaknesses, she had not.

Tyson and Max, wrists clenched, were held back by Ray. The younger bladers were throwing threats and swearing in ways Iris would have never thought they would. Ray was looking directly at the Shadowed Blades, baring his fangs, frowning. Kenny was sweating; looking to what she supposed was the replay of the previous match.  
Slowly, almost mournfully, her stare rested on Kai. Her eyes widened slightly.

His hues, unwavering, were locked with hers, seemingly not aware of anything around him for the first time since she knew him. The boy actually seemed... mesmerized by something. Or as if some mystery of the universe was finally being explained to him and the realisation dawned. He was standing, beside Ray, completely still, hands clenched into fists. In the fraction of second their eyes locked, time seemed to cease. _'He knows... He knows what I'm about to do.'_ The usual dark emotionless orbs were not covered by the masks normally hiding the true feelings behind them, the fears, the weaknesses... They betrayed him, showing her his concern. She could have sworn she had heard him shout "Don't!" in her head. Almost. '_Kai... I **will** defeat her. But I'm sorry if I can't back down now, I just can't... I didn't want it to be this way, but I've no choice. I'm sorry, so sorry. But I can't let her get away with this... Let Black Dranzer loose.'_

Turning her head to focus on Sarabela again, her eyes narrowed, the outline of her frame radiating a dim white aura, glowing stronger and stronger, contrasting with the black power engulfing the other girl. "Maybe you're right. Or not. More like the latter. But I'm not alone either, you can be sure of that. I don't know what happens from now on and really, if you want my sincere opinion, I don't care. But know this... I won't let you be a pawn to BIOVOLT's cause. And Black Dranzer is too damn dangerous for you..." pointing her index finger to Lugiohan, the aura slowly concentrated into a small ball on the tip of it, "You're going down, Kuznetsov, and if I go down with you..." her eyes turned to a complete dark red colour, "So be it. At least I'll have the satisfaction that I saved everyone from the Armageddon that is sure to come. Safe from you... And from Black Dranzer." The energy shot into the Thunder Phoenix, penetrating her. Her emerald eyes shone brightly, her neck pointing to the sky. A beautiful song came from her, echoing from everywhere and nowhere. The power grew, suddenly released in a tremendous explosion of raw power, controlled by a calm looking Iris. And then... everything went black.

: Mistress! No! .:

**: There is nothing you can do about it. :  
**  
The last thing she remembered was a blur of black coming in her direction. The crowd went deadly silent as everyone looked over at the dish in complete awe and dread to what was still to come.

"NOOOOO!" a shout was the only thing that broke the thick silence.

* * *

...TBC...

**Thanks to:  
**Tenebrae Rosa:** hehe, no spelling mistakes? Wow, that's a 1st xD & thnx 4 thinking the matches r well-done ;; I did put a lot of effort 2 make them. Despite indeed not liking 2 do them, I'm only satisfied once I deem they'r good enough xDD thnx 4 reviewing the 3 of them :P**

IcePhoenixLove: **girl, yes, there's gonna b a sequel… & a sequel after that as well. Just not rite now xDD where's the action on the fic? No where! It's 13 chapters long. Read my a/n, will u? xDD ;) When I said 'final' chap on the beginning of the 8th chap, I meant as in final of the 3-in-the-row-updating, that's all. Anyways, yes, it was far 2 short 2 end it rite now. & 2 soon. 2 many things wud b left on the open; not a good time, u kno? But that being cleared, hope u liked this chap as well & thnx 4 reviewing**

hiwatarisaori:** yes, well, chap 5 _was_ supposed 2 b like that, even if it ended up a tad bit sad. Still, it was needed. But thank u 4 liking it & the kissing scenes as well :D I do put much effort in them. thank u very much 4 also taking ur time in reviewing the 3 of them ;) & of course, 4 agreeing w/ how Tala's doing :) it _is_ how I see him, ne, or in the very least, how I'd like him 2 act in such situations. **

**Dark: Forgive me 4 the cliffhanger, cudn't help myself xD Anyways, thnx 4 the wonderful reviews. 7, wow xD come back 4 more next Sunday. Also, I told u the chaps wud get bigger, ne. This is my excuse 4 last chap's ending, which I still believe isn't one of my best writing parts. 33 pages long on Word.**


	10. Living or dying?

**Dark: 10th chappie. Also, rather big. Hope u enjoy the way the plot's developing. 3 weeks.**

**Summary/Disclaimer:** **check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.**

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

****

Chapter 9... Living or dying?

"NOOOOO!" a shout was the only thing that broke the silence. Boris looked over the scene, not believing what had happened. "No! It wasn't supposed to be like that! Stupid phoenix, get out of his way!"

People were running everywhere. Panic was installed. It was all too sudden, too fast, too quick for anyone to truly understand everything that had happened in mere seconds.

Tala's hues glanced around the whole chaotic scene, dread slowly working its way through his bloodstream. His feet were carrying him to the stadium, not that he was noticing, his eyes still watching the unmoving figure on the floor, seemingly so insignificant to everyone else. _'No.. Not again…_' Unfortunately, he had only realized what was about to happen when it was already too late. When Black Dranzer attacked Iris all of a sudden.

And the rescuer?

Lugiohan intervened. The black phoenix's talons pierced Lugiohan's neck as she stood between him and her Holder. A quiet, sad screech escaped her, the shocked crowd, still in their seats, gasping and crying silently, feeling the phoenix's pain even if they were not connected to her. It seemed like an eternity as silver blood stained the flawless white feathers and the wounded bit beast finally retreated to her beyblade. And only God knew why Iris had fainted, just like that, in the exact same moment as Sarabela.

The black haired girl fell to her knees, her side hitting the floor seconds after. The scratches and ripped clothes were soon forgotten as gashes appeared on the sides of her neck, the blood mixing with the same coloured tips of her hair, making it seem as if she had red highlights instead.

As if in a trance, Kai knelt beside her. He wasn't crying. Such an act – humanity - was beaten out of him a long time ago. Though in the mahogany depths, there was no denying the anger and if one looked closely, worry and regret was in them and even a flicker of fear was seen.

"I should've never let you battle, I should've known better…" his fingers brushed her now wet hair away from her face. Her complexion had paled; the usual healthy glow it had almost gone. The difference between his own skin and hers wasn't big by now. "You're too stupidly stubborn to stop, you just had to win, didn't you?" he wasn't sure if he was whispering to her or if it was just his thoughts. His fear was growing along with the pool of blood at his feet.

His hand gripped her wrist almost painfully, searching in despair for the pulse, strong and steady, which should have been there. He found it, but it was fading, weak and far too fast to be called normal. Instead of the grief and sadness growing, the anger did, his blank expression turning into a narrowing of eyes, hues hardening, "I'm not going to lose you, I'm not! You're everything I have left, I won't let you die." As carefully as he could, he lifted her in his arms easily, one arm under her knees, the other securing her back, her head tilting back very much unconscious, the wounds there still oozing a steady flow of blood. She would be thought as beautiful, lips parted slightly, silky hair tumbling back and over his arm, but the deadly pallor of her skin and blood put such a thought to the back of anyone's mind.

The remaining BladeBreakers gave way for them to pass, strangely quiet, before following their captain.

Dark onyx eyes looked back at the girl, safe in his previous owner's arms now, the boy who he had first thought was The One, getting farther and farther away. The Praeceptrix(1) was out of his reach for now.  
**  
: No matter. I have waited for years and when I was free for the first time, I had to wait another five long years yet again. I did half of what I intended here. And soon... You will be mine, Iris Blanchett... :  
**  
Chad walked forward, extending his arm, the blade returning to him. Glaring ominously at the teens across the facility, their back to him, he paused. Then, glanced at the black top in his hand. The chip twinkled a faint dark light up to him, reflecting off his own dark eyes.

"Get rid of it…" the small whisper made him blink once and look around.

Kyo and Kyu stood in front of him, Sarabela in between them, her arms across their shoulders so that they supported her. She was paler, if that was even possible, her lips adopting a bluish colour, cold sweat making her hair stick to her forehead. But the odd glint in her eyes, the slightly darker look, the out of place adultery in her was finally gone, her innocence having returned. Her eyes were back to the same pale lavender tinge of hers, "Let it go, it can't be trusted."

The older teen looked down at the chip in his palm, a glow coming from it again, almost as if a warning of what would come if he indeed let it there. His eyes closed.

The beyblade landed with quick, quiet metallic sounds onto the dish, an odd dark glow involving it. Although, without the bit chip.

A similar pair of pale lavender eyes followed the retreating team, set on the girl's back. Bryan sighed quietly. _'I'm sorry, sister. But now, you must learn the rest of your lesson all the way. Just as I did.'_ Glancing around him one last time, he followed the trail of blood on the floor. After he ha picked up the black fallen top.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"Tala, w'at 'app'ned back the'?" Rosemary appeared at the Russian's side, looking at him. Her eyes were wide with worry and maybe, even a bit of fear. They were all outside the small infirmary the building offered, having been there ever since Kai entered with Iris in his arms.

"That's what we all want to know. But..." the redhead lowered his eyes, voice quiet. Their usual sharpness had faded a bit, clouded by something akin to concern, "I'm not sure if she'll make it. She did lose a lot of blood."

"What! No way!" Tyson shouted, a bit down the corridor, but neither the two older teens listened to him.

"Ah'm suwr' she'll make it. She's tough enoug'..." Rosemary's tone was obviously to try to comfort the red-haired teen. Still, not even she was sure of her own words. '_It's all up to 'er now... We cahn't do much mor'...'  
_  
As for Kai, he had only stopped to open the door, closing it in Tyson's face. Inside, there were some people already, many hurt from the hurry to get out of the main dome. One of the doctors came over to him, looking immediately at Iris in his arms. Noticing the blood, the young man pointed to the nearest bed, "Lay her there, careful." He sighed, obviously tired, checking for the weak pulse on the girl's bloodied neck, "My name is Michael. How did this happen?"

"I'm not sure and right now, I believe that's irrelevant." Kai's voice was calm, though the doctor did detect the fury behind it. His eyes were lit with silent anger, barely held at bay.

But at least from the outside, Michael didn't seem intimidated, "Too true." His soft brown eyes looked back at the fallen teen, "She'll need a blood transfusion and, if she can make it through the next few hours, much rest." Taking the plastered hair out of the way, his face palled as he saw the real damage. Talking in a different language, probably Portuguese, he turned to a couple of other doctors, as they separated to do whatever Michael had asked. He turned to Kai once more, "Please, wait outside. We'll take care of this from now on."

The boy bared his teeth, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes looked over at Iris, whose breathing was starting to slow down, "I'll stay with her. She'd want that."

"I'm sorry, I can't let you." He shook his head, "Intensive care. Not for your eyes." Seeing the youth open his mouth to retort, the elder raised a hand, "I can see you care a great deal for her, but I just can't let you stay here. Please. Outside. You'll be the first to know if something happens."

Still glaring, the Russian walked away, fisted hands in his pockets, teeth biting his lip. After seeing as Iris was carried to another room, no longer in sight, he turned around, and out of the facility.

Tala raised his head immediately as the door opened quietly to let the dual-haired teen exit the room, "How is she?"

Kai only shrugged, "They didn't really say much." His eyes hardened, "Just that she lost a lot of blood."

Ian muttered under his breath, "Great, just great! Now what? We pray?"

"Ian, there's nothing you or any of us can do, really. Whether you like it or not." Bryan leaned against a wall, "I'm not comfortable with the situation either." He put Black Dranzer's top on Kai's hand, "Here. You're its most indicated owner."

Slowly, the boy in question took the dark top, frowning deeply. He passed the blade to Chief, who, startled to suddenly have such a powerful beyblade in hands almost dropped it, "You can check if it's built of something else other than metal, Kenny. Maybe it can help our training, who knows."

"Ok, back to the matter at hand, please." The short purple haired boy glared at Bryan, whom he thought was responsible, "We should be there, giving her our support. She would've wanted it that way. To let her know she's not alone in this! She did that to all of us." His eyes locked with his captain's, "Especially to you. And you know it. Every time you dropped unconscious and we brought you back, she was the one there beside you, holding your hand and muttering under her breath until you finally answered her. Shouldn't you do the same for her?"

The turquoise eyes narrowed, "I know she did. But even Hiwatari's here; what do you want us to do? Let it rip and enter? Whatever the guys are doing there, it's for her sake. Do you want to go inside and make a racket?"

The other subdued somewhat, opting to sit down instead. The redhead though pulled away from the wall, passing by Tyson and retrieving Lugiohan, feeling the phoenix's presence somewhere at the back of his mind, "She won't die." Most people stiffened at the mention of such a verb. The captain went on, ignoring the intense glare coming from Kai, "And even if she does, she wouldn't want us to act this way, or would she?"

"Shut up, Ivanov." Turning on his heels, Kai walked away from them, heading for the exit.

As the World Champion was about to follow him, Spencer's arm shot out, stopping him, "If you want to keep all your bones in one piece, stay here and leave him be."

The mild air that hit his face outside felt rather good, helping to calm down his inner turmoil. The boy walked over to a tree, leaning against it, then sliding down to the ground, his eyes drifting close. As he did, the image of her at the bey-dish, silently falling to her knees and the wounds appearing at her neck entered his mind, making him shudder.

He had let it all happen, not doing anything. '_How could I be stupid to the point of trusting that she wouldn't do such a foolish thing?' _His crimson hues opened again. Something rolled down his cheek, almost startling him.

Reaching up, he wiped it away quickly. One single tear had fallen, after a long, long time.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Tala looked over at his companion from the exit of the building. He found himself in a dilemma. If he stepped forward and said something to the two-toned haired boy, he would probably be risking his well being and Kai's complete recoil. If he didn't, Kai may do something everyone would regret later on. Sighing, he walked over to the other teen, leaning on the tree, one foot pulled up. Still, he decided to keep silent, hoping the other would speak up first. It would be a good sign if he did.

"What are you doing here, Wolf?" said beyblader's features softened somewhat. There was the good sign. And at least, his voice was even. Either he had bottled it all up, or he was now calmer.

"Last time I checked, this was a public place."

"Don't answer a question with a question, Ivanov." He could notice a slight smile on his voice, making him smile back. '_Good. At least there's sarcasm.'_

"You look like you need a bit of company. Before you start thrashing everything around, da?"

A huff, "As if. Sounds like you're pretty used to me doing that."

"Well, no, but who knows?"

"You're avoiding the subject, Yuriy."

Tala rolled his eyes, stopping from trying to lift the mood, "Put yourself together, Hiwatari. Iris will not die." Their eyes locked, and, in turquoise orbs, there seemed to be no doubt of his words, "Not until she gives Boris what he deserves. Then, she may die in peace. But not yet."

The other lifted an eyebrow at his tone, but did pull back from the tree, starting to walk back. Knowing Iris's personality, what he said was true.

Though life may not always be fair. Actually, it barely ever is.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Two hours latter, the door opened, revealing Michael. Every head turned immediately to him, Tala getting up half way from sitting next to Rosemary.

The doctor gave them a small smile, "She's holding out. At least, for now." His eyes grew serious, "Though she's not stable. She might have another break-down and if that's the case, I very much doubt she'll recover."

"How is she, really?"

"Well, alive, but in a coma. In between her dreams and consciousness. According to her mental activity, she's trying to wake up, but for now, she cannot."

"And there's nothing we can do to help her, right." Ian muttered, voicing most teen's thoughts.

Michael only shrugged, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid not. All we can do now... is wait." He seemed to ponder something thoughtfully, "Though if it makes you feel better, you can come inside see her. You may speak quietly among yourselves, but any louder and I'll be forced to send you away. Everyone who's inside needs rest, peace and quiet and your friend isn't an exception."

They all nodded, before following him inside, walking through some doors, until he stopped in front of one and opened it. They entered.

In the room, completely covered in white blankets, was Iris, pale and unmoving. The normal four black triangles were gone from her cheeks, her neck bandaged. Her black and red mane contrasted heavily with the extreme whiteness of the room, becoming the only colour in it. Outside, despite being summer, as if suiting the mood they all felt, the sky started to get cloudy, dark grey clouds gathering. The thick rain started to fall, each time heavier.

"Remember, quiet. For a few minutes, you can all stay here, but then, only one of you can, alright?" The older man exited the room, not waiting for an answer, leaving them alone for the time being.

Ian sat heavily on a chair, giving a glance at everyone, "Now what?"

"Well, you wanted to be here with her, didn't you?" Tala sat beside Iris, brushing away some bangs away from her sweaty forehead. A smirk curved his lips lightly, "But really, isn't it obvious?"

Tyson blinked at that, scratching the back of his head, "Err, not really..."

Kai opened his eyes from leaning against the opposite wall to the bed. He also smirked, a knowing glint in his crimson hues, "We follow them. It shouldn't be hard." He exchanged a look with Wolborg's Holder.

"What!" Tyson fell out of the chair he was sitting on, "Are you crazy? They almost killed her! And they sure didn't look like they'd mind doing that to anyone else!"

"That's the main reason." Tala shrugged casually, crossing his arms. His eyes narrowed dangerously, "No one, and I do mean **no one** hurts Iris and gets away with it. She'd do the same for us."

"No, Tala." Rosemary spoke up, shaking her head. If this was going in the direction she feared, someone had to stop them from accomplishing it. And if it had to be her, she was quite influential, if she ever needed to. '_It's too dangerous fo' t'em tah go on their ahwn jus' lik' t'at_.' She palled as Tala's eyes narrowed to mere slits, a snarl on his lips, "Be reas'nable, Yuriy. Ya cahn't jus' barge in the'!"

"We can, we must and we will." Kai continued, looking at the fallen blader, "Enough is enough. They tortured us far too much for us to let them go like that and putting Iris in a coma was the last straw. And besides..." his head leaned down, covering his eyes from view. His smirk grew to a wicked grin, "I want to see Boris and Voltaire's faces as I destroy the Abbey once and for all. Revenge will be sweet." While the ones who had experienced the horrors of the Abbey smirked among themselves darkly at his words, locking mischievous stares, the other teams looked at them like they had gone mad.

"Look, you may want revenge, I think we all understand that. But you can't just go there, enter the building and ta-dah! Hey, we're going to destroy the place, yay!... it's not like that, alright?" Johnny voiced everyone's thoughts, "We need a plan. Their security is good, you should know that better than we do, and they're sneaky. We-"

"McGregor..." Bryan lifted his head, his icy stare sweeping through them all, "Shut up. You can't understand, unless you **were** there as well. If you don't like it, don't hear it. This is amongst us; we know what we're doing."

When Johnny was about to reply to go on with the argument, the door opened. Michael entered, "Come on. Only one of you."

They all slowly left the room, leaving only Tala and Kai in the end. They locked stares for a brief moment, nodding at the same time in mutual understanding. Tala left swiftly, giving him a last look that clearly said "Watch it or else…", before the doctor closed the door.

Once alone, the bluenette sat on the edge of the bed, placing his hand over hers, his thumb brushing the back of her hand. Her skin was cold, he noted. Glancing up at the bedside table, he saw Lugiohan, her bit shining gently in the room. As he was about to place her on Iris's hand, the other phoenix's voice was heard in his mind.

: Master Kai. There is something you need to know. :

Kai frowned lightly. Her tone, somehow, didn't sound… _right_. '_What is it, Lugiohan?' _

: Her situation. I'm afraid my Mistress will not wake up soon. If at all. : At those words, his blood ran cold, everything else ceased to exist, except their hands lightly touching. : She is lost within her own dreams, Master, haunted, plagued, by her past. She needs to find peace with her soul. Whatever Black Dranzer did to her, brought back her memories, her inner demons, which she still has to confront, the same ones she has been feeding, with her suppressed emotions, and ignoring them, without her knowing. :

'_Isn't there anything we can do?' _

Pause.

: It is…. Risky. But Lord Dranzer and I will help you, if you choose this path. But remember, youngling. You fail, you die and she probably won't recover from the coma. : Another pause. Just as he was about to ask her what he could do, it was Dranzer who spoke up.

: We must warn you this might be very, very dangerous for both of you, child. We will allow your presence to be in her mind, through the mental connection Iris shares. Do not touch a thing, but her, for it might make a difference. :

Absently, he nodded.

Lugiohan spoke up again: Bring her to reason, make her listen, but keep her under control. She is in her own mind, she can do whatever she wants, youngling. Even kill you. :

The boy closed his eyes gently, bringing Iris's hands to his lips, brushing them over her knuckles, _'I'll risk it.'_

Both phoenixes were quiet once more.

: Please, child. Don't let her fall into Darkness. Not again. :

He took out Dranzer, placing him beside the black top, which rested on top of its owner's chest. The bit chips of both beyblade's glowed in reply at the same time. It was everything he remembered before blackness took over.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

When he managed to open his eyes again, Kai looked around warily. All he could see was a thick grey fog. He couldn't even say if he was walking in firm ground or not. Probably not. _'Not touch anything? There **isn't anything**_ _to start with.'  
_  
The smallest sound caught his attention after trying to listen to something, _anything_, in the void. Leaning forward instinctively, he listened more closely, letting his senses lead him. There it was again. A sob. Several soft sobs. Crying. Someone was crying, not too far away from him.

The sounds became louder, clearer, as he walked on. He opened his eyes, not even noticing he had had them closed. The fog was gone. But instead, right in front of him, there was a tall, dark, enormous wall. Everything there was dark and gloomy, remembering the usual silence of a graveyard. On the supposed floor, leaning against said wall, he saw a crumpled figure, not too different from the first time he saw her back in Japan, covered in a cloak and shivering from all the rain pouring down on her.

Iris was laying down on her side, one arm stretched out, her head on it, pitch black hair covering her face. It almost looked like someone had picked her up and threw her down again and she didn't even try to move from the position. In her sobbing, now far clearer, he could sense fear. Helplessness. Hatred. Abandon.

Sounds of who had lost their hope long ago, of who resignedly opened their arms to accept death and ignorance from all from then on.

Odd.

But then again, so was she. She was a strange one, Iris. Emotionless on the outside, but she wore her heart in her sleeve. Never let a weakness like crying be heard, her tears were always silent; but here she was, sobbing. A horrible past behind her, but always ready to make someone happy, even if she wasn't; he could see that in her eyes, clear as day.

"Iris?" at the sound of his voice, barely more than a whisper, she looked up. Her eyes were red and puffy, contrasting with the usual sharpness of the silvery blue hues heavily, her tears still falling, following the rivers down her reddened cheeks and bloodied lips, possibly from her biting them. Although, a gleam of hope shone in those mystic silver eyes.

"K-Kai? That you?" she should be crying for a long time now, for her voice was hoarse. "What are you doing here? How-?"

"Never mind that." he knelt in front of her, only wanting to hold her, but knowing he should not; she had to be the one making the first move, "You're in a coma, Iris. You need to get out of here, to snap out of it." But she would surprise him yet again.

"No."

For a moment, he seemed not to know what to say to that. His eyes searched hers. What he saw in them made him doubt if this was the same Iris he knew. The normal bright silver orbs, lit with energy, sarcasm, revenge and even a bit of bossiness and disguised pain and hurt were now dull, hollow. Lifeless. It was as if all the lights were on, but no one was home. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry. It's not that simple." Slowly, she sat up, arms around herself. Her shoulders heaved in a deep sigh. Her eyes fell from his, looking at the wall in a mixture of fear, sorrow and regret.

The boy followed her stare, still not understanding her. When he spoke, his voice was so low she found herself leaning in to listen properly, "What's stopping you?"

"This... this wall... My emotional wall, so to speak, that emotional part that exists in all of us. The emotional barrier that protects me from the outer world. Everything here is dark, morbid and quiet." A soft sigh. Resignation. "Just like me. All my emotions are kept and suppressed here. Only anger and hatred can shine through, can be shown. And... If it's not destroyed, I..." a pause, in which she continued in a very soft murmur, "I can never get out of here, I suppose... Nor love you... Not by heart, soul and mind at least. This part stops me from managing it thoroughly. It has to be destroyed." Seeing he was about to snap at her, she quickly clarified, "I _want_ to do it, Kai, believe me, I do, but... I'm not brave enough. I… can't…"

He looked at her, uncharacteristically wide eyed. The exact same thing happened with him. However, he did admit, even if it was only to himself, that he had changed. If only a bit. Ever since meeting the BladeBreakers, especially Tyson. They all contributed for something to change within him, and he appreciated that. And then, when he met her.

But never had he thought that it could become such a problem. Like the one she was voicing right now. He wasn't aware how he would react if he was in her place, no. Maybe he'd do the same. But, for her, wouldn't he, at least, try? Kai got up from his kneeling position, "How can you say that..." her light eyes looked up into his dark ones again, "You're thinking just like **them**." He didn't need to specify who were the ones that ruined both their lives, "Why can't you destroy this? Is that really your reason? 'I'm not brave enough'?" he walked closer to her menacingly, eyes ablaze with anger and slight hurt, his voice a deathly quiet whisper "Am I not reason enough for you? I'd do the same for you. Hence, I **did** the same for you, even if you didn't notice it." The boy pulled back a bit, taking a few breaths to calm himself, "My own situation isn't as simple as you might think either. To ignore everything that was taught to me, to be with you. You weren't the only one with a hard past, Iris…"

"Don't you understand? I can't just destroy this!" Iris scrambled to her feet, "This is what stops me from being broken! This is my world!" her arms spread. Soon, both phoenixes' words became clearer when they told him she could pretty much do whatever she liked here.

From her back, black wings sprouted, ominous and gloomy. Her once bright silver eyes turned dark, cold, steel grey. Her lips twisted in a snarl, "I live in this wretched place ever since my sister died. When I was left alone, away from my family, kidnapped by Boris and thrown into the Abbey, not even knowing the least bit of Russian to begin with. Always alone, made fun of by everyone until I finally met Tala. Half a year later. My scars were too deep by then. Ever since I was six, love, I endured torture beyond your worst imagination." The snarl turned into an unpleasant grin, "Do your math. It's been seven years. It's too damn long to give up on something just like that. It's my protection, my barrier." Lightening appeared out of no where.

From Kai's mouth, puffs of condensed air came out. Cold. Ice cold. So cold… Still, he bit his lip. _'Let her finish. Just a bit longer. She's too angered to listen to reason at this stage._'

"This is where I belong! Here, away from everything, from everyone. Away from pain, misery and rapists. Away from Boris. I'm free." It was then that he noticed. Her irises… Not the grey they had just turned into just then. Black. Just like… Black Dranzer's.

Holding her shoulders tightly, he pulled her close, so close that all that they could see was each other's eyes. Her fury, what she could do to him, he ignored it all. He had to make her listen to him, he _had _to. "Iris, this is not you. Listen to me carefully. Black Dranzer… He's making you think like this. You have to fight him off." As she was about to start speaking again, he did one of the few things that could make her shut up efficiently. And one of the few most unexpected things to do in such a situation. Kai kissed her, roughly and briefly.

"He's trying to control you through your mind. Through hatred, anger, self-pity." the realization hit him then like a ton of bricks, "And that's why he didn't try to follow you after you fainted and I took you away. Whatever he wanted to do was already done."

For a moment, her eyes changed from black, to silver, and back again, "Black Dranzer?"

The hope that had been slowly leaving him came back at full force, "Fight it. Fight him. If you want to get through this, do it, you have to! Please." He shook her shoulders for emphasis, "Do it, Iris. Fight him off. For you. For me. For us…"

Iris looked at him confusingly. Her eyes changed again briefly, "But… I don't feel him in my mind." She paused, "On second thought, I don't even feel Lugiohan…" at that, she gasped. Slowly, her eyes changed again, permanently, "Lugiohan! What happened to her?" she tried, in vain, to find the familiar warm presence of her bit beast. No such luck. It was like she had lost her. For good.

"Iris, look at me." his voice had a hint of urgency as one hand gently turned her chin to lock his eyes with hers. "It's him. He's the one responsible. Black Dranzer is in your mind, somewhere, and he must've severed Lugiohan's bond with you. That's the reason, that's why you can't feel her. You need to find him and fight him off. I can't help you, only you can, and I'm sorry, but you have to. I know you can." Ever so briefly, he paused, "I love you too much to lose you now."

Silver eyes widened to their maximum. His words seemed to have hit a nerve, something, inside of her. Her eyes closed as she searched, trying to find that dark feeling. One that she recognized easily, but still didn't know it yet. To her astonishment, there it was, almost imperceptible. Trying as much as she could, it seemed it was working. But very, very slowly. Too slowly. Before she would be able to finish, she wouldn't have enough energy to do it completely.

"I can't do it…" she whispered under her breath, "Not alone!" she did the only think she could think of. Contact was needed, and for that, she kissed him, crushing her lips to his in a bruising manner.

Long minutes passed, several times, it was needed to part the heated kiss, only to restart it again. Kai didn't know what to expect of this, not really. How to act. Only that she needed the contact as much as she needed to breathe. He felt, more than once, the salty taste of her tears, the harsh grip of her hand on his hair. But he didn't pull away. Suddenly, Iris parted the kiss, her eyes shut tightly, teeth barred in a somewhat painful way. Some moments after, an intense wave of relief washed over her features and through her whole being as she sighed. Opening her eyes again, they were their usual silvery light blue tinge he had grown fond of, their sparkle returned. The wings were gone as well.

Finally focusing on Kai, the girl, not back to being herself, could point out the worry in his hues, the hope, the fear, "Kai?"

Her voice pulled him out of the dreading suspense. He let out the breath he wasn't aware he had been holding. Leaning forward, he let his chin rest on her shoulder gently. "I thought I'd lost you back then."

Somewhat awkwardly, still not sure about what had happened, her arms wrapped around him in a loose hug, "It's alright. I'm right here. Everything's fine. Sorry for worrying you." Slowly, it was coming back in fragments, but she now knew… sort of. "And thank you for helping me. I would never manage to do it alone." Her lips brushed against his temple.

Unknown to them, the dark wall started to crumble and break down, beams of light coming from everywhere. When their eyes finally opened, at the exact same time, everything was blurry and different. They seemed to be back. There was distance between them, though they were too tired to fight it. A dreamless sleep overcame them as they sighed deeply in unison.

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The two of them were placed side by side, in two different beds. No one knew what had really happened. All that Tala knew after he entered the room again after being far too silent was that Kai seemed to have fallen asleep, on of Iris's hands tightly clasped on his own. That, or he had fainted. But that wasn't very Kai-like to do.

Still, all of a sudden, Iris seemed to be breathing a lot easier, not to mention that her state returned to the one of a normally knocked out person.

Only in the third day's early sunny morning did they wake up, both at the same time. Before they knew it, both beds were surrounded by everyone, most of them (mainly Tyson) shooting questions at the same time.

"Shut up, Tyson! You're giving me a headache already!" Iris picked up her pillow, throwing it at the navy-haired boy, who was knocked over by it. Then, picking up the blankets, she pulled them over her head and turned her back on them.

Tala grinned lightly as everyone else laughed, ruffling her hair through the covers, earning him a muffled complain, "She's back alright." The whole-hearted laughs were foreign, the happy sounds kind of odd in these last few stressful days, but, nevertheless, a complete happiness and relief for them all.

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"Do we even have a plan, by the way?"

Kai looked up from packing. They were leaving back to Japan, but first, they would pay a visit to Moscow, which was why Iris was packing as well. Otherwise, she would stay in her home country. Or so he supposed she would. And, due to that small detour, the dual haired teen couldn't help but feel relief, _'Some more time together._'

The rest of the team was in the other part of the small apartment, each in their own rooms, also packing, therefore they were alone. And gladly too. "It's unpredictable, and you know it. No good plan will help us. You've been there before, haven't you? And I'm sure their security must be better, after six of their students escaped."

Even in the situation, the girl found herself snickering softly at that. "Hu huh, what a shame for them... But..." her face saddened a bit, her voice lowering to a soft whisper, "Then what?"

The boy sat down on the bed beside hers, looking at Iris in confusion, "Then? What do you mean?"

She sighed in exasperation, "After all this is over. **Then**, what will happen? About you, me?" her eyes turned to the ground, "About us..."

Even though he had suspected it, the news hit him by surprise. His head lowered, eyes out of sight by his bangs, "So you're not coming with us." More like a statement than a question, really.

"Kai…" she half closed her suitcase, walking over to him. She knelt sideways, arms hugging one of his legs, chin on his knee, "I've been wanting to get out of Russia years ago... for obvious reasons. I wanted to come here, back to my house, back to my-" she interrupted herself briefly, "I didn't have time to go around the place yet, but I do have friends here, very good friends I don't see for almost ten years. This is the place I can call mine. My home."

He didn't have an answer for that. He couldn't deny that; after all, she was right. Although, one thought couldn't help but resurface to his mind. '_I've got too used to her presence to think of living without her from now on.' _She sighed and got up when he opted for silence and looking away instead of replying.

Making her way over to the window, she sat on the windowsill, looking over at the bright sunset, sending beautiful colours into the sky and the water of the river, deep violets, rich oranges and bright, vivid reds. The silence dragged on and was becoming uncomfortable. "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you with that thought."

The boy walked up to her, stopping just behind her, "You didn't. The question remains though. What then?"

Iris turned her head to look at him, placing one hand over his cheek and jaw line, her thumb grazing his lower lip. She leaned forward, murmuring against his lips, "I don't want to lose what we have together, Kai... All I want is for you to promise me that... that this isn't something to waste and forget..." in her eyes, there was a pleading look, a sparkle of hope that all her life had been turned down over and over again. He didn't need to even think about his answer.

"If it wasn't, I wouldn't be here." Ever so discreetly, he lifted an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side.

Her eyes closed, as she tried her best not to laugh. Sometimes, he was just like Wolf when it came to smart-assed replies. _'He'll never change._' Although, what he said was nothing more than the pure truth.

One of his hands rested over her knee lightly, making her reopen her eyes again, "I can't even think of forgetting you, Iris." She found herself smiling as his lips brushed over hers, barely touching, only to come back more forcefully, but still gently. She kissed him back, arms going around his neck, pulling him as close to her as she could.

In a quick motion, his hands were at the back of her knees, pulling her up from the windowsill and the now dimmed glass due to their body heat. At the loss of balance and sudden change of position, she broke the kiss, surprised.

The boy merely smirked in return while holding her close. Walking over to one of the two beds, he lowered her gently on the soft mattress. Her eyebrow rose, but she made no attempt to stop him. Maybe in her light hues was even a bit of amusement? Or maybe it was just the dim light. Leaning in, he pecked her lips briefly, then her chin. Trailing kisses down her neck, he felt her hands fist his hair, just a fraction below painfully. Her wounds were still there, but luckily, after almost a week, were now almost completely healed and not bandaged any longer.

Reaching her pulse, he sucked at the spot till a reddish mark appeared on the fine skin there, while hearing and feeling her breathing getting quicker under his ministrations. Lifting his head, he noticed she was watching him carefully, even if her eyes were only half-lidded. But no refusal in them. Only trust. And one more thing. One he couldn't identify very well, one that had never been directed towards him before. Kai was brought back from his thoughts by the tugging at his shirt. He quickly discarded it, sitting up, careful as not to put his weight on her.

And as he did it, so did she, along with the black bra she had on from their previous training. Lying back on the bed, she took a deep breath, willing herself to relax. Iris did felt a hint of unease; after all, the only person that had seen her like that had been-

But as their gazes locked, she already knew. That fear nagging at the back of her mind slowly, but surely, calmed down. She trusted him. And he trusted her.

Kai studied her expressions closely, watching the various emotions come across her features. First doubt, then fearful resignation, now a calm that he hoped was real and not just to show him she was ok with this when she wasn't. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her, and both of them knew he could. Yet, she made no move to stop this. He could almost feel all the pain she had gone through in that single position, over and over again.

The girl in question seemed to realize his hesitation, or maybe it was for the simple reason he took too long to go on. Much to his relief, she smiled reassuringly at him, eyes glinting with the last few rays of the sun, "I'm not going to stop you, you know. I want this."

That sentence lifted most of the weight off his shoulders. But not all of it, "But-"

A finger was placed upon his lips. She shook her head silently, sitting up and changing their positions, when he allowed her to, "You won't hurt me, Phoenix. I know you won't or ever will. You'll never give me pain; you take it all away..." she licked the sensitive spot just below his earlobe, listening to his appreciative low growl at both that sensation and their bare torsos touching. Kissing his Adam's apple, she dragged her lips over his pale skin by undoing the knot on his silky scarf, stopping at the joint between the shoulder and neck. She first licked and then let her sharp canines sink into his soft flesh.

He wasn't expecting it. A pained hiss sounded, ending up in a very soft groan, as she lapped at the pouring blood, easing the stinging feeling away. She stopped after some moments, kissing his lips again, the taste of his blood still on hers. Kai took that chance and quickly flipped them over again, smirking down at her, "I started this; I'll finish it."

Her amused chuckle ended in a quiet, throaty moan, as he took one nipple between his lips and sucked gently. Biting down lightly on the small nub, his fingers were playing with its twin, always listening to her in case he was hurting her in someway or if she made some kind of uncomfortable movement.

But far from it. As she sighed, her eyes closed on their own accord, a very soft, absent smile upon her bow-shaped lips. Her fingers tangled in his hair again, twirling the strands between them, sometimes pulling gently, as an unfamiliar heat inside of her heightened more and more.

Kai lifted his head after a rather painful tug at his hair, looking up at her. She didn't look scared, didn't seem to want him to stop; her smile only grew slightly as they locked eyes. Although, he didn't want to pressure her, he wasn't sure. Kissing her pulse and lips one last time, he started to pull back from her.

A tight grip on his scarf made him pause though. How she had put it back around his neck suddenly, _that_, he was wondering, even if it was only wrapped about his shoulders. But before he could say anything, he was pulled down again, this time for forcefully, their lips meeting not so gently. "Just what do you think you're doing, pulling away like that, Kai Hiwatari?" the tone of her voice was husky and held slight authority, which made him look into her eyes immediately in question.

Her eyelashes had dropped even more, the silvery blue almost changed to a sapphire tinge, clouded by desire and something else; but, by the lack of light, practically all he could see were the deep black pools of her pupils as they dilated, oddly dark for someone whom had such light eyes. She clarified her question, a small amused smile playing on her lips, "Why did you pull back when I want you this much?"

As soon as they widened slightly, his eyes almost closed again, the hues darkening at her whispered sentence. He leaned in, capturing her lips in his own in an almost mournful kiss.

The small smile never left her face even after he pulled back. Still, she noticed the slight hesitation in his eyes. Despite it being unnecessary, she was thankful for his consideration and that showed in the glinting of her eyes, "Do it. I'm not afraid. Not if I am with you, Phoenix... My Phoenix."

Never looking away from her eyes in case she considered she wasn't ready yet in any way, the rest of their clothing was quickly removed. Still a bit cautious, and he didn't blame her for it, her legs parted for him on her own free will. To calm her, and as an after thought as well, his fingertips ran along her knee and thigh in a feather-light touch, making a delighted shiver run along her spine. Their lips met passionately, one of his hands holding hers, fingers intertwined, as he felt her free hand tighten its hold on his hair. With no warning, he entered her.

Iris sucked in her breath underneath him. He had surprised her and she had almost bitten down on his tongue due to her surprise. Her body tensed immediately on instinct due to the unexpected move. The boy must have noticed so, since he stopped, parting the kiss slowly.

She turned away from him, memories crashing down on her heavily, making her eyes close tight. Her breathing quickened and she wondered if she was hyperventilating or not. Images of being violated in such a degrading way, a few of them which she unconsciously managed to suppress came back full force, making her awfully dizzy. Not even noticing, a few tears fell down her cheeks, as silent as her memories passing through her mind's eye.

A hand squeezing hers and the gentle, soft touch at her cheek startled her, but also made her forget about that at the same time. All the pain, with only those two gestures, vanished. Gingerly, almost afraid, her eyes opened.

Kai was looking down at her, a sight relief on his expression that she had, at least, locked eyes with him. In his darkened eyes, she could partially see the guilt of what he considered was his fault.

She felt like kicking herself, and she did, mentally. How could she even think of fearing him? Fearing her Phoenix? It was only her memories, the pain of remembering, her own inner demons. His lips parted, possibly to utter some kind of apology, but she placed a finger upon them, whispering back, "Don't speak." The hand still tangled in his hair pulled him down so that their lips met once more. Her next words were even softer, "Don't stop."

Still not completely trusting her decision, but admitting she had relaxed, Kai started to move, slowly at first.

The thoughts of before threatened to come back, but this time, Iris fought them back. '_I'm not there. I'm not with him. I'm safe. Kai would never hurt me._' As if to make her point across, her lips sought his for a bruising kiss.

Then, a new feeling almost overcame her as she let her body relax further, no other sound in the room other than their slightly faster breathing and the beating of her heart. It started at her abdomen, like a low but steady fire, its heat quickly spreading to every cell of her body. Unconsciously, she moaned against his lips as he withdrew and thrust into her again, the pace increasing.

The kiss parted, their breathing getting heavier, sweat glinting over skin. The moans and growls became louder and more regular. And they felt it, right at the same time.

Throwing her head back and biting down on her lower lip as to keep quiet (after all, Tyson and the others were still around the place), her climax hit her hard. Her back arched, her hips rising one last time, a low groan was what she couldn't stop from tumbling through her lips. She didn't hear, she didn't see, there was only feeling, that consuming feeling. She didn't notice how her fingernails made five, not deep, but enough to leave a mark, scratches on his back, how her other hand fisted the mattress tightly as if her life depended on it. For now, she didn't care, as pleasure took over. Thoughts of the Abbey, what was yet to come tomorrow, of Boris, Black Dranzer, it all disappeared for a few, short, blissful seconds.

As soon as he felt the heat exploding in him, Kai bit down on the same spot she had bitten him. It was instinctive; and the reason he gave himself afterwards was that he simply did it to muffle his own groans.

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Ray paused on his way to the living room, a bowl brimming with popcorns in one hand. Slowly, his head turned to look at the door of the room he was just beside of.

That was odd. Had he imagined it? No, there it was again. Though not the same voice.

His light amber eyes widened, his ebony eyebrows shooting up. His lips formed an "o", before a wide mischievous grin curved them. "Hehe… Not to worry. Both your reputations are safe with me." He entered the room where the younger bladers were watching a scary movie with Kenny typing furiously and trying to ignore it.

Tyson brightened at seeing the popcorns, "Snacks! Thanks, Ray!" the World Champion winked, taking a bunch. Soon, he frowned lightly, "What's with the goofy grin?"

The White Tiger simple chuckled at that, the grin widening further, "When you're older, I'll tell you."

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After the few seconds of paradise he just experienced, he laid down beside her heavily, lips partially open to let in more oxygen than usual. Absently pulling the covers over them, Kai pulled her close to him, his hand over her right hip in a possessive gesture.

Iris took the chance to snuggle into him, sighing, still trying to put her slightly calmer breathing under control. Her eyes opened half way, now of a lighter shade, glancing at him. Reaching out a hand, she brushed away the few locks of slate hair that stuck to his forehead gently. His own eyes opened then, looking at her in a somewhat satisfied way. Too tired to lift his voice, he merely whispered, "Did I hurt you?"

She shook her head no, a small mysterious smile on her lips. She was healed. He had helped her heal, gone through it with her and still, he was there. Beside her, never to leave her again. He both respected and admired her and that was enough to make her eyes glint, "No. I told you, you wouldn't." a brief peck to his lips, "Didn't I?"

Kai nodded slowly. "But something happened to you back then… didn't it?"

Her pearl white front teeth caught her lower lip as her eyes looked away from his for a brief moment, "I… remembered certain things. Things I had thought were forgotten."

Not knowing if it would help her or not, still he said the following words, "They never truly do, no matter what you tell yourself. Nothing is ever really forgotten " A comprehensive note was on his tone and she appreciated that. Lightly, she smiled.

"Do we have to get up?"

Her captain grinned ever so lightly, "We leave in five hours. There's still plenty of time." with that said, he closed his eyes, pulling her closer.

Her smile broadened, "Good." Sighing softly, she allowed herself to sleep, soon followed by him.

A feeling of peace washed over them in the three hours they slept. It would be one of the few moments like that that they would feel in the next few days.

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"What are you doing here."

The Scottish girl stopped in her tracks at that. His tone wasn't cold, but it wasn't friendly either. Tala was leaning on the railings of the building's terrace, on the roof. The cold air of the evening was gentle, making both his and her hair tousle slightly, the air still partially warm from the sun that had set not long ago, "Ahre ya sur'h ya guys wanna do t'is? Goin' tah t'e Abbey jus' like t'at, Ah mean..." she stood beside the red-head, not looking at him. In a couple of hours, they would go to the airport, each team to their own plane. And this wasn't the good-bye she was expecting... "Ya'll be in dange', Yuriy... An' sum of ya may not retu'n. Ya all kno' t'at bettah t'an anyon' else."

"I suppose we do." His tone was thoughtful, as if he wasn't really paying attention to her. Though that was only what his exterior showed her; he was well aware of her and her statements. The redhead still didn't turn to look at her, not just yet. He knew by her tone that she didn't agree with this. But she didn't know about the things he went through, no. About what Iris went through. About what **all** of them had went through. If she knew, she wouldn't be saying this. '_She can't understand. And really, I don't blame her for that. Still, she shouldn't be telling me what to do. We all need to do something about it, not just me. They could've killed us with the trainings. I could be dead as well. His little experience could have killed Iris too.'_ Unnoticed, turquoise flashed icy blue for a brief moment,_ 'And that was the last straw.'  
_  
"I don't wanna lose you..." she went on even if he hadn't elaborated, for the first time, speaking without her usual accent, as worried as she was. That emotion in her voice was perfectly clear, as it was in her eyes, brimming in the dim light.

The Russian finally turned his head to look at her. A pang of guilt was felt as he saw the crystalline tears shining in her lavender hues. His hand reached up to brush them away, but she took a step back, shaking her head. That made her tears roll down her cheeks and chin, falling to the floor right after, a few on his still outstretched hand. "I'm sure you want revenge. I'm sure I would too, if I was in your place." She shook her head again, "But not like this! Please, think about it, Yuriy... This is not the way. Violence only brings more violence." she turned around and walked away, not standing to look at him any longer; only his eyes flashed once or twice at her words, the emotions in them too fast, rising, then fading to be replaced by another, for her to catch on. "You're only going to get yourself killed, you and all of you. At least know this..." reaching the door, she turned on her heels again, locking stares with him. Hers, full of hurt, but she still couldn't make out his correctly. It seemed he felt... sadness, confusion? Or none of that, even? "I do love you, Yuriy Ivanov... Shame that you don't feel the same way..." turning around once more, she went through the door, descending the stairs she used previously to meet him. The door slammed closed, matching her temper.

The boy let a soft sigh escape him, turning his stare to the moon, which, seemingly, appeared out of no where. It was full, the silver rays shining down on him brightly. Surrounding it, there were millions of glittering stars over the velvety darkness, winking out of existence, then coming back. He resumed his previous position.

Everything had begun to get so confusing he didn't even know where to start anymore. That's what he was trying to do there on the ceiling of a building, looking up at the night sky for no apparent reason. _'The Abbey…'_

Not remembering much of anything before he was four, maybe five, he supposed he had no parents. Alright, he had them, but seemingly, they refused to have him. Typical. And the Abbey and Moscow streets were all he practically knew. The places where he had been happy… and hated.

And now that he was going back… The old emotions came back full force.

Would he see her again? Was she even alive?

Who knew. That was one of the reasons why he hadn't replied to Rose's last sentence. Now he was regretting it, but… Would he be telling the truth if he said he reciprocated her feelings?

He shook his head to get rid of such meaningless thoughts, making one of his bangs get caught on his lower lip. Absently, he brushed it away. He should be worried about getting into the Abbey as carefully as they could. To get to the control room and ruin their vigilance. To get to the Investigation and Development Wing quickly. But all he could think about was _her_. Again, he sighed.

Confusion. That was the only word he could find.

...TBC...

* * *

**Thanks to:  
**Moonlight Angelsinger: **teehee, I'm not much on the making-my-character-die-then-making-her-come-back-2-life-somehow-plots kind of evil authoress, so no worries. Oh, dun take me the wrong way, I _love_ putting my main characters in danger of death & heartbroken xD just not take it 2 the complete extreme. Anyways, thank u very much 4 liking the fic & hope u liked this chap 2 ;)**

IcePhoenixLove:** xD Aww, it makes my day every time one of my faithful reviewers says something on the obsessed-side xDD Just kidding ;) thnx 4 enjoying, I think it's one of the best chaps myself :D so, hope u liked this one as well, ne?**

Tenebrae Rosa: **it's alrite, I understand. I mean, I have headaches all the time myself xD but glad u liked**

**Dark: Sheesh, 3 reviews? Meh, so many, ne… I'm disappointed. Come back 4 more next Sunday.**


	11. Revenge: Part I

**Dark: 11th chap. 2 weeks & counting.  
  
Summary/Disclaimer:** check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 10... Revenge: Part I **

Half an hour after she had woken up, Iris had just finished packing, and Kai had gone away on a small walk around the city, even if it was only 4.30am, or so he had said on the note he left there. Iris smirked slightly to herself in the darkness of the room, _'Don't want to explain to anyone why we were here alone for so long, eh Kai?_' Though by Ray's grin sent her way, she had a feeling he knew. But the Tiger knew how to keep his mouth shut and for that, she was thankful. They were leaving in just a few minutes.

Pulling out a syringe from of her bag, she grimaced as it punctured her skin, right on the tender spot of her left elbow, the clear liquid entering her system, making her feel a bit sick and dizzy on the first seconds. '_It would be just great that I got pregnant now…'_

She then picked up her soft black, long sleeved turtle neck, which allowed her to move quickly and with no problems. A pair of bluish black jeans and her boots and she was ready to go.

A soft knock at the door sounded then.

"Rin? You decent?" She smiled. Tala.

"Come right in, Yuriy."

The black haired girl turned to look at him, the smile still in place, but it soon faded, as she glanced into the redhead's eyes. Not turquoise. They were of a lighter blue shade. The normal mischievous sparkle gone. She even forgot to put on her gloves as she saw them. Something was definitely wrong. "Wolf, what happened?"

The boy simply shook his head, sitting in front of her on the floor like they used to do when they were younger. Sighing, she ran her hands through his hair gently, patiently waiting for him to start speaking, knowing that he would. "Do you… remember Ten?" his voice had lowered to a soft whisper.

The girl above him paused her gentle stroking on his scalp, obviously tensing up. Her voice got quieter as well, "Of course. She was one of the few female beybladers at the Abbey… You could almost say we were best friends, practically."

He nodded absently, silence falling over them once more. His eyes seemed to glaze over as his features took in a thoughtful look.

Iris reached over, twirling one of his bangs tightly in one finger and pulling it short and harshly, snapping him back to reality. After a few more moments, he spoke up again, in the same whispering tone. "As time grows nearer, I can't help but think if she's alright… if she's even alive…" he added the last few words somewhat bitterly, "And because of that…" She let her fingers resume the light threading through his hair again, letting him know she was listening even if he had paused for a brief while, "Because of that, I… let her go…"

Dark eyebrows furrowed. He wasn't speaking about the same person anymore, "Her? You mean Rose? Rosemary?" Tala gave a short nod, almost in a forlorn way. She bit her lip, _'It isn't like him to behave like this…' _"Would you like to talk about it?"

"I don't know…" his eyes closed tightly, an out of place confusion settling in his features. It certainly didn't belong there. He rarely had any doubts about his actions; he did them and that was it. She could count by the fingers of one hand the times he was ever confused about taking a decision. A perk of being a cyborg, she supposed, most of his emotions, such as regret, suppressed from his mind, allowing him to think more clearly and take the right decision.

"Yuriy, please. Tell me…" she placed a hand on his shoulder. Seeing him recoil from her like that was worse than being sliced on the back by a knife. "Don't you trust me anymore?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then tell me what happened." Iris placed her chin on his other shoulder, "Please. I might be able to help you."

He shook his head gently, "You can't, Rin. It's just… She doesn't want us to go. She told me that again. And… That's probably the reason why she acted the way she did in the first place back then too. I don't really blame her. I know it's my fault."

"How so?"

"She told me… that I shouldn't go, I would just get killed.. All that because she… she… she then said that- you know…" He trailed off, not able to continue for multiple reasons, or simply not wanting to, not wanting to hear the truth from his own lips, but Iris already knew what he meant.

She sighed softly, "I'm sorry."

At that, the redhead opened his eyes, light confusion written in them. He turned his head to look at her as she lifted her head slightly, "For what?"

"Her attitude. Sorry to be the one telling you this, but if she did care that much, as she says she does, she would understand. You and your reasons." Her voice was emotionless. Not the usual tone the boy was used to hear from her in his presence. Then again, she wasn't an expert when it came to relationships. Quite the contrary, it was odd to hear her talk about feelings and what one should do like that. She usually kept that to herself.

Therefore, he opted for a short pause, before replying, unconsciously defending the other redhead, not that he intended to, at first, "Maybe, but she doesn't know about what we've been through. Our reasons, our need for revenge. So much, we're willing to risk ourselves like this. If we were in her place… We would probably do and think the same."

Mumbling something in Portuguese under her breath that suspiciously sounded like she was cursing, the girl stood up, "I don't really know her that well, I could be wrong. So, don't take my words seriously." She looked back, her light eyes locking with his bright ones, "But I won't take them back." She turned her head to the window, her features suddenly losing their spark they held when speaking and making her point across. She looked tired, as did her next few words, "Come on… We leave in half an hour for the airport."

The boy got up, too quickly to be called calmly. His eyes narrowed, "Thanks for nothing. You left me in the same conclusion I was before I came in…"

"Wolf, I told you not to take me seriously; it's not that-" he had exited the room before she could finish the sentence, "-you shouldn't believe her…"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Two hours and a half later, the BladeBreakers and the Demolition Boys were found in the plane that would take them to Moscow. Everyone was silent; no one dared to speak about what had just happened and what was yet to come.

Kai sat quietly on his seat as usual, eyes closed. Iris was resting her head on his shoulder, as his own was on top of hers. The only sign of their relationship was the small armrest between them both, in which rested one of his hands and one of hers, on top of his, though it could be considered as a casual move and not on purpose. Tyson and Hilary weren't bickering for once and Max and Chief, in the seats behind the former two, were also quiet. No whining for food, no 'Shut up, Tyson!', no happy shouts, no typing. Ray and Bryan were beside them, along with Spencer and Ian, who weren't planning on doing anything to their captain for once. The reason was quite obvious.

The last encounter between Tala and Rosemary was still too fresh on everyone's minds.

««Flashback»»  
Both teams were heading for the gate that would lead them to their plane, when a feminine voice sounded, loud and clear, echoing through the big airport, partially empty at that time and making the echo even louder.

"Ye'r nuthin' but a coward, Tala Ivanov!" Rosemary rounded the corner, walking towards them in brisk strides, fire in her eyes. Still glaring daggers at Tala, she added, "Ah re'lly t'ought ya would say good bye at least. Guess Ah was wrong. But's ok, jus' one mo' re'son tah join t'e others, showin' ya re'lly don' care at all, ne." Turning to the others, she spoke in a more controlled voice, but just as cold, "Good luck, even if Ah doubt it'll be enoug'. Nice tah meet y'all." Nodding to each of them, she started to walk away.

"For everything we've been through, we need to do something about this situation. They need to suffer as much as we suffered." The red-head's equally, if not colder voice swept over them all. Most of them shivered. His face and eyes didn't betray any emotion, but his deadly calm voice was a bad sign.

The Scottish girl's sudden start was replaced by anger as she turned around again, pulled her hand back and tried to smack him. His reflexes were quicker though, as his arm shot up and blocked her own. His cold fingers wrapped around her wrist in a fluid motion, pulling her towards him with too much force, making her chest mould to his hard one not so gently. Her narrowed eyes never looked away from his as she whispered scathingly only for him to hear, "You know nothin' about my own sufferin'. It's not fair."

"Who ever told you life is fair? It never was, is or will ever be. Your mind is too innocent if you think like that. If you don't understand my reasons, then everything we ever had was completely useless." He replied just as quietly, releasing her, pushing her away from him and almost making her lose her balance. Not only from his harshness, but from his words.

She barely even felt Johnny's comforting hand on her shoulder. Feeling tears swell in her eyes again, she turned away and ran. '_Ah've shed too many tears ove' him. It's time tah stop. He doesn't care, so why should Ah?'  
_  
Tala resumed their former walk, not caring about the farewells of the rest of the Majestic's. Other than that, he walked away from the group, towards the gates.  
««End Flashback»»

No one wanted to speak about it for fear that it could be the last straw for the Wolborg Holder, but everyone wanted to know what had really happened, especially since the majority didn't knew that there was something between him and Rosemary.

"Tala, do-"

"Shut the fuck up, Ian. I don't want to hear it."

But the blue eyed captain was having none of it. Those were practically the only words that were exchanged on that flight. Almost three hours later, the cold Russian air greeted them all. It was getting closer to midnight, since their flight was at 6pm, Portugal's timing.

"It's strange to be back after all that happened." Iris whispered into the soft, but freezing breeze. She wrapped her black scarf, which had only been dangling from her neck, tightly around herself, "I almost forgot how cold it could get."

"Well, now you remembered." Tala crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't wearing a coat, so used to this weather as he was. Or at least, so he made everyone think, "Are we going to the Abbey now, or should we call it a day and find a place to stay the night?"

The Portuguese ignored his sarcastic tone towards her, "The security is tighter at night. We should have a good night's sleep and we'll decide how to act in the morning. We'll be clear headed then. Everyone agrees?"

"Hey, hey, hey, slow down! We can't go inside the Abbey just like that! We'll get caught!" Tyson intervened.

"And who said you were coming?"

"Yeah, and who said I was- WHAT!" the naïve boy pouted, "Aww, but why can't I go?"

"Tyson…" Kai rolled his eyes, "We already told you why."

"No, you didn't!"

"You can't go, because you would just slow us down." Iris rubbed her temples, feeling a head-ache forming. Too much had happened today. "Chief, Max, you, Hilary… You will all stay. Ray will stay watching the monitors, if he agrees to come, of course, once we get inside the control room. He knows how to walk unnoticed and he's smart enough." The neko-jin grinned at that, nodding, "From then on, each of us will separate, to save the potential students, show them a way out and destroy everything else BIOVOLT has. And I think that about sums it up."

"WHAT!"

"But… that's suicide!"

"You still have time to go back to catch a plane to Japan. The airport is just some miles away." Tala started to walk away, ignoring everyone else.

'_He has every right to be angry. At me, for that conversation and then, at Rosemary. Whatever she told him, it wasn't anything good.'_ Iris followed him next, head low, the others slowly doing the same. '_I have to find a way to help him out. He deserves as much for everything he's done to me.' _

_««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««_

Kai didn't know about the others, but as for himself, he didn't have as much as a minute of sleep. Getting a hotel wasn't difficult and deciding who would stay with who in the bedrooms was quick as well. But he just couldn't fall asleep. His night flew past him as he stared into Dranzer's bit, running the pad of his thumb over the edges of the dark blue beyblade. He could already feel the adrenaline flowing through his veins and it wasn't even near to start the plan. Or the day.

A frustrated sigh caught his attention. His cinnamon eyes glanced over to the door of the room. A definitely feminine figure passed by it. Hilary was in the other room, so that meant it was Iris. '_She must be worried too.' _But he didn't get up. '_She needs some time alone.' _

And, as usual, he was right.

Iris made her way to the balcony after picking up the first scarf she found. Which, by the way, wasn't hers, but Kai's. She wrapped it tightly around her neck, not bothering to fasten it, the ends tangled in her wrists, keeping her hands warm. Another vision had appeared. The cold sweat that it created was cooling down her skin. It didn't feel all that bad really.

Her eyes followed the sigh that came out of her mouth, the white puff of air slowly disappearing. It was cold, but the breeze wasn't too harsh, as the days became slightly warmer.

The vision wasn't anything special like the last one, just pieces here and there. Which was why she couldn't make that much sense out of them.

In one part, she saw herself falling, wonder where. In another, they were beyblading, all together, but she couldn't see their enemy. Then, Dranzer and Black Dranzer appeared out of no where. And on and on. Bits of scenes that she couldn't understand. Too sudden, too confused, too disorganized.

She turned her head down, looking at her watch. 3.45am and she wasn't anywhere near to falling asleep. '_Damn it all to hell, I'm not someone to stand here and do nothing! I hate feeling powerless like this!'_ She returned inside and unwrapped the snowy white scarf off her neck, throwing it to the table where it had rested with more force that what was needed, making it fall with the softest whoosh to the floor. She felt tears prickling her eyes as she looked at it. '_Tomorrow will decide everything. Some of us may not even be here by then, who knows? And this may be the last time I see them. Am I leading them to their own deaths?'  
_  
: They only followed you, because they wanted to, Mistress. Do not feel guilty. :

A small, sad smile curved her lips, '_Thank you, Lugiohan…'_ She reached down, picking the item carefully, as if her mere touch was going to break it. She lifted the scarf close to her nose and smelled the soft scent of Kai's cologne. And the one definitely male scent that was just labelled 'Kai', the scent she could never forget. She placed the bundle of whiteness down, beside her own scarf.

Heading to her trunk, Iris took out everything she would need for a long shower. '_Better do something useful…' _

The warm water hit her bare skin, making her place both hands over the wall and let it run over her aching shoulders, over the dip of her spine, down her long legs. As the soft sponge ran gently over her skin, she could not help a shiver as, for a moment, the water ran cold. At that point, her eyes snapped open, a memory appearing in her mind's eye, no matter how hard she tried to suppress it.

««Flashback»»  
Her wet, black and red hair fell in waves around her, covering part of her equally wet face as it was forced again and again into the polished tiles of the tub, the now cold water hitting her, barely noticeable.

Another grunt from the man above her sounded as the pain between her legs almost doubled in intensity. Her dull, silvery eyes shut tight. As if her position wasn't uncomfortable enough, he was doing everything in his reach to make sure she got hurt as much as possible.

Her back kept being shoved into the ground with more force than her face as her still developing hips were roughly held by calloused hands. One of her legs was bended and her other went over the edge of the tub in a very uncomfortable way, making her feel as violated as possible while lying there, not managing to move. As for her wrists, they were tightly bound to the tap of the tub, giving her no chance to get away, to cover herself, to scratch her way out of there.

One of those feared, rough hands rose to her chest, rubbing and kneading painfully, before two fingers were shoved into her mouth, the last few thrusts being the most painful ones. But Boris finally got up, moving away from her. Weakly, the leg that was carelessly placed over the edge moved, as she rested it against the other, closing them both, hiding herself from prying, merciless eyes.

"That's all you're worth for." His fake soothing voice sounded in her ears as she tried to unbind her wrists, trying in vain not to hear him, "You're worthless. Your family was better off without you. Your sister died when trying to save you. I still wonder what for. You serve for nothing. Yizkov (1), little phoenix, this is all you are. A bitch and nothing more. You'll never be anything else. You can't change that."  
««End Flashback»»

She shuddered, her legs closing tightly in reflection, his words still echoing in her mind. Shakily, she started washing her hair, placing the tap in the hottest water she could bear.**  
**_  
_Over an hour later, she came out of the bathroom, being as silent as possible and walked into the sitting room, drying the tips of her hair with the towel absently. Much to her surprise, Tala was there, looking listlessly at the window outside, sprawled on the couch. He suddenly turned and locked eyes with her. As soon as he did, the contact was gone once more. The red-head got up.

"Yuriy."

The boy paused on his way towards the exit, but didn't turn around to acknowledge her. That confirmed her suspicions that he was trying to avoid her.

"Yuriy, I-"

"I don't need your pity for what happened nor do I want a 'told you so' speech."

"It's not that-"

"Then what is it!"

She hesitated. He rarely ever snapped at her, unless he was trying to hide something. In these situations, there was only one logical thing to do. Reply quietly. "Are you just going to mourn over everything that goes wrong on your life and not do anything to solve that?" This time he stayed quiet as well, so she took it as a good sign and continued, "I'm sorry for what I told you yesterday. You came to me for help and I pushed you away when you most needed me. I didn't have the right to do that. And this is not pity. It's me admitting I acted wrong."

Silence.

Once more, Iris hesitated, but she decided to take her chance. Walking towards him, she hugged him from behind, burying her head on his back. "You've been through enough. I didn't need to hurt you further."

At first, she felt his muscles tense up; she knew he didn't like being as close to anyone as she was to him. And yet, slowly he let himself relax slightly, his hands covering her own over his stomach. He whispered softly, "I guess I overreacted a bit myself."

She smiled softly, "You're not angry at me anymore?"

"I only needed to lash out at someone. Sorry it had to be you. But you also know I can't be angry at you for long."

A chuckle escaped her, "Hu huh… Yeah, I have that gift."

"Full of yourself, aren't you?" she could almost see his smirk.

"I had a good teacher." They both grinned conspiratorially.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

They all stood in front of the gothic-like building. The four younger members of the gang had stayed behind, according to plan, but they were ready to intervene if their presence was needed. The remaining seven teens were anxious to enter, but each of them knew that if they stepped one inch out of the planned, the alarm would go on. And here is where a brilliant mind can make wonders.

"The white one."

"You sure?"

"Yes, as the red one is connecting to-"

"Alright, Spencer, I get the picture." Iris disconnected the white wire from the electronic device of the gates. She was the one with smaller hands and Spencer knew of electronics. A perfect team for this kind of job. With a hiss, the gates opened automatically.

Ian stopped his pacing, "Wow, Spencer, I take back everything bad I ever said about you…"

"What did you say?"

"Err, nothing, nothing!"

"Spence! We still need to deactivate the alarm on the fields."

"Right…" the blonde boy crouched beside her again, looking into the circuits. "Take off that little blue square thingy. It's what will turn on the sound alarms." She did so. "Now, we need to rip off two wires. Hn, two… If it was the white before, now it's… the yellow and the light blue one- no, wait! Yellow and… dark blue. Yeah, that's right."

"If I come out electrocuted from short-circuit, you'll pay my funeral, big guy…" she muttered to herself as she wrapped her fingers around the two wires and yanked them quickly and hastily, the little sparks that would mean her death dancing in the air. Every head turned to the Abbey's grounds. The red light that signalized the outside alarm shut off. "I think it's safe now."

They made their way slowly through the thick snow, making as little noise as they could. Stopping to let a group of five 'monks' walk away, they slipped inside before the door could close. Everyone plastered themselves against the wall as Tala launched Wolborg to cut the video camera's wires with a small dagger.

"C'mon, if we go through this door, it will lead us to the dormitories immediately. The rest of the kids here must be getting ready to start today's training session." Bryan opened a door to their left, holding it as they got inside. After some minutes of walking in the dark, they finally saw light. They entered a narrow corridor, with doors everywhere, which would lead them to the private bedrooms. As they walked through it, Iris stopped at one door. She shuddered, '_So many memories… So much pain… How can I ever forget?' _A hand rested on her shoulder. She opened her eyes. '_Wait… I stayed behind. Everyone's in front of me. Then, who's..?'_ She turned around sharply, hands quickly grabbing for Lugiohan and her launcher, a snarl on her lips as she turned around sharply and let it rip.

A similar black blade clashed harshly against hers, both tops going back to spinning in front of their respective owner's feet.

"Almost six months without seeing each other and this is the kind of greeting I get?"

Iris visibly relaxed, blinking in surprise and cracking a small smile. "Ten… Long time no see."

Said Russian girl chuckled softly, violet eyes glinting, "Hu huh… What are you guys doing here? I thought you had run away."

"We did. But we decided to pay a visit and help you guys out." Bryan smirked slightly, as they all came back at hearing the clashing of metal, "Do you know where the main team is? The Shadowed Blades?"

Ten's once warm hues hardened, "Top floor. You're safe here, for now at least. But your sister-"

"Is safe."

Her interest perked up upon hearing Tala's voice, "Yuriy? That you?"

The mentioned boy came to view, turning the corner. He nodded at her, his own turquoise orbs softening ever so lightly. Ten smiled widely, walking up to him. They both hugged for a small moment as Bryan smirked knowingly. The latter leaned in to whisper at Iris's ear, "Did you know those two had a crush on each other when they were younger? I dunno about Tala, but Ten seems no different."

Iris gave him a look as she whispered back, "Who **didn't** notice? Probably only themselves." Again, that same problem came up. Tala had a problem to solve with Rosemary. Not that she was denying a chance at happiness at her long time female friend, but Tala already had too many problems of his own at the moment. And this only complicated everything. '_Who ever said love triangles were cute?...'_

They continued walking in silence, reaching the end of the hall. Not wanting to take any chances, they took the stairs instead of the elevator, disabling all cameras they spotted. Ten was quickly informed of the plan.

"Ok, time to separate. Ray, you'll stay at the control's room, once we get there. Spencer, Ian, you'll be responsible of getting everyone out of the buildings…" Iris started.

"Me and Tala will go and destroy the Investigations and Development Wing. We know that zone better than anyone else here." Ten placed a comforting hand on Tala's arm. She could easily feel the tension under the skin. He had passed through too much in that area, while she had just been lucky. Boris was thinking of doing the same thing to her, but right then, the project 'Experience Double - Black Dranzer' appeared, taking all of the man's attention away from her.

Tala looked away when she touched his arm, suppressing a shiver. '_I thought I had gotten over this...'_ He nodded to confirm the girl was right, but his mind was elsewhere. It wasn't on the times he passed in torture, but on the girl right beside him.

"You and Bryan can go look for Black Dranzer and I'll take care of Voltaire." Kai lifted a hand as Iris opened her mouth in protest, "And that's that."

"Kai, Boris is probably with him. You alone won't stand a chance. Besides... You know..." Iris stepped forward, resting her hand on his pocket, over Dranzer. She leaned over to whisper at his ear, but he beat her to it, doing that himself.

"I know Dranzer can be stronger, if he fuses with Black Dranzer, returning to his most ancient and powerful form. Before the 'Experience Double' ever existed. Before Boris managed to get his hands on him in the first place."

Iris took a step back, blinking in surprise, "How did you find out?"

"I have my ways, as you have yours." He took out something from his pocket, putting it on her own. His lips descended on hers, but he stopped just at the last second. "I want you to promise me that, no matter what, you'll get away from here as soon as you get Black Dranzer."

"Kai, no-"

"Time's running out."

Short pause, "Fine. I promise. But-"

"Go."

"But Kai-"

"Just go!" he pushed her away a bit too harshly, but Bryan quickly balanced her, grasping her arm and taking her away from the rest of them.

"Bry, wait up! We have to stop him! What he'll do is suicide and you know it!"

"There's no time. The faster we find Black Dranzer, the faster we can help him out, remember? Let's go." That shut her up.

They quickly came to a stop as they saw two tall mahogany doors. This was the part where the students couldn't get in, only Boris or Voltaire. Or someone they called there. Which always meant something was bound to happen. Something **bad**.

"It's locked. And we can't do much racket." Bryan threaded his fingers through his hair agitatedly, "Any ideas?"

A small smirk curved her lips, "Bry, don't you know me at all?" kneeling on the floor, she took out a pin from her messy ponytail, and turning it a few times in the right direction, the door opened with a quick 'click'.

Shaking his head, the Russian boy entered, followed by the quietly giggling female. But once inside, their faces became horrified.

Dried blood on the walls, pieces of beyblade's scattered all around... The room screamed 'Death' and they both knew it.

"That's simply disgusting..." Iris whispered softly, not daring to raise her voice. The other boy just nodded, starting to see through the display-windows that were on the walls. At seeing one of them, he took a step back, eyes wide, looking from it, to Iris and back again.

The girl noticed as she walked up to him, "Found it?"

"No, don't!" Bryan tried to take her away from it, but she had already begun reading.

**Iris Catherine Blanchett  
**  
Experience 'The Seer'  
- Able to communicate with any bit-beasts and control them;  
- Able to use their energy;  
- (Possibility) Able to foresee the future with the help of the Sacred Bit-beasts.

Priorities:  
- Train and/or submit her;  
- Enable her of her powers by means of removal and/or usage;  
- Not let her know of her full powers;  
- Observe her;  
- Eliminate every member of true family.

Programmed with:  
Experience Double – Black Dranzer

"I'm sorry."

Her shocked eyes turned to his guilty ones, "You mean you knew? You all knew? And you never told me anything?"

"Kai knows nothing about this-"

"He doesn't count, for crying out loud! He only knows me when I showed up at Tyson's a couple of months ago! He doesn't know my past! But you guys... I-I trusted you, Ian, Spencer..." her voice cracked at knowing her best friend kept something like this from her knowledge, "...Tala... You all knew and you kept silent! Don't I have the right of knowing about my true nature!"

"Look, Boris didn't make you; he only wants your powers. Which were born **_in_** you. No one put them there." He continued searching for the Dark Phoenix, putting some distance between them and avoiding her eyes, "We didn't want you to get hurt, if you knew. You'd snap at Boris and he'll… you know…"

"But how could you? It's not fair; this is my problem and mine alone! Why do you have to go and try to protect me?"

"You didn't need to know at the time! You were safer that way." The lavender-eyed boy turned to look at her finally, "You'd just try to find out more about the experience and do something about it. It would only get worse."

As much as she still thought she was the one being right, she subsided. Once more, she started looking for the bit-chip too.

Bryan let out an inaudible sigh, '_It's best if she doesn't know anything else about it. And Boris isn't the only one interested... Others will come. Very soon.'  
_  
"Found it." Cracking her knuckles, Iris pulled her fist back, delivering a punch to the 'unbreakable glass' that protected Black Dranzer's display window, effectively breaking it.

"You could be quieter, you know..."

"Who cares." taking out the small chip, she ignored the presence that tried to enter her mind, blocking it. She put it on her pocket, expression emotionless. "Ready to go?"

The boy nodded, taking a disk from one of the few computers, "Yeah."

"And what's that supposed to be?"

"Something that can help us out if we feel the need to. Let's go." they ran out of the room quickly.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Tala stopped in front of the black door. Written in Russian, there it was. The 'Investigations and Development Wing'. Ten stopped beside him shortly after.

"You didn't need to come running."

"You didn't have to follow me like you did."

Rolling her eyes, the girl opened the door. Perhaps a bit too hard, as it slammed with the wall beside it. They both jumped at that.

"Have you ever heard of discretion?"

"Shut it, Ivanov."

The two teens entered slowly and soundlessly, but a sarcastic laugh made the hairs on their necks stand up. That could only mean one thing. Better saying, one person. If you call that a person, that is. Tala stepped in front of Ten, an arm stretched out in front of her.

"Ah, isn't that sweet? Young love…" Boris appeared from behind the numerous machines and inventions, "Such… a weakness." They didn't reply, but their frowns deepened, "What were you thinking? To destroy this place and run away?" a low, cold chuckle escaped him, "Aren't you two so naïve…"

"Yeah, we planned on destroying this. Ya know, in the 'KABUM'-style sort of thing… But you'll have to count with the other six of us, of course." A smirk curved Ten's lips as she saw the mocking smile slowly falter from the adult's face.

"Yes, I know you aren't as stupid as to come here alone. Unfortunately. You'd spare me the work though." He snapped his fingers.

One of the various monitors in the room blinked to life, just in time to show them Ray being thrown out.

Ten bit her lip. _'Not in the plans… So not in the plans…'_ slowly, her hand moved, reaching for her blade and launcher at her hip.

"Still, as much as you two annoy me…" The purple haired man took a step back, his hand resting on a wall, "You, Tala, are still of some use. Therefore, I can't really just kill you. As for you, my dear…" his lips curved into a not so pleasant smirk as cold dark eyes rested on Ten. Out of instinct, she took a step closer to the boy in front of her, "You'd follow the same path.. If that other friend of yours hadn't came along. So, we simply finished with him." He gave a nod towards the red head. "But I fear my presence is required somewhere else. So, I'll leave you two. Maybe you'll have enough time to repair your bonds, or maybe not." A clicking kind of sound was absently heard, almost passing by unnoticed due to the light humming of the machines around. Nevertheless, a slightly louder buzz than that one started to be heard. Boris left the room almost lazily, since he was nearer to the door, smirking as both bladers ran forward towards it as well, only for said door close just as their fists reached it, locking itself automatically afterwards.

Growling quietly in frustration, the boy turned his head sideways to face her, "Do you know what that click was for?"

She shook her head, feeling hopeless herself, eyes looking everywhere to try and pinpoint the source of the buzz still sounding, "No idea. I don't even know where he pressed, so I can't really say anything." her hand reached up, resting over his arm, not because of her will, more like it felt safer that way, "Yuriy… Something's not right…"

"I know." His eyes looked over at her hand absently, as he resisted the urge to rest his own over it, "I know. But we'll-" he stopped mid-sentence, looking up and nostrils flaring once. He frowned, '_Is that what I think it is?'_ He took a deep breath and felt dizziness overcame him almost immediately, causing him to choke slightly while trying to identify the scent he just picked up and not gag on it.

"Wolf, what-" Ten silenced herself as well, seemingly noticing it too.

They both hissed at the same time, while covering their mouths and noses with their sleeves, "Chloroform."

"We won't last for long. We need to get out, **now**." Tala reached out with his free hand, getting a hold of her upper arm as she swayed slightly on her feet. For the simple reason she was smaller and had less body mass than him, the gas would get to her system faster, "Any ideas?"

"Only one, really." As he glanced back to see what she was going to do, she had raised the collar of her shirt, breathing through it, whilst taking out her beyblade and launcher.

"Ten, don't!" Too late.

"Let it RIP!"

The boy barely had time to get out of the way before the blade crashed onto the door, and reflected back again just as quickly, missing him for less than an inch and making a cut on his shirt just under his arm. He gave her a look, "Thanks a lot…"

Her response was a sheepish grin (or so he thought, since her mouth and nose were covered) and an apologetic look, "Prosti (2)… Thought it would work."

"I told you not to do that for some reason, didn't I?" he knocked on the door for emphasis, "This metal is made of a light alloy of iron, nickel and titanium. Due to the explosions that can be caused here and whatever else. It's practically unbreakable and hurts as hell if you try to tear it down." he raised his hand, the one he had knocked the door with. The contact area was turning reddish. Spilled blood. "I know what I'm talking about."

Her eyes looked away from his as she nodded quietly. "Then, what can we do? The walls should be made of some kind of alloy as well."

Tala reached into his pocket, taking out Wolborg. Placing it against the wall so that the attack ring made contact, he let it slide over the surface, making a superficial gash on the paint and the metallic material below it, if the loud screeching sound was of any indication. But there was a gash on the wall nevertheless. His eyes glinted in what she supposed to be the effects of a smirk, "Yes. But not indestructible." He took out his launcher, being forced to breathe the contaminated air for a few seconds to place his blade in position. Though instead of such, a slender hand reached up before that. Violet locked with turquoise for an instant as he leaned forward to breathe through her sleeve while adjusting Wolborg.

She looked away while that, feeling his skin against hers, cold, thin lips against the sensitive area of her wrist, even through her shirt. Shaking her head, she went into position as he did the same.

They did their best not to breathe in the chloroform, though more then once, they wobbled on their feet while releasing their beyblade's again and again. The crack on the wall was getting bigger, even if slowly.

"Finally!" Ten quickly stepped outside as soon as the hole was big enough, taking in big gulps of fresh, cold air.

"Don't." his hand rested on her shoulder, making her pause. "The gas is still in your system. If you move too much, it'll spread. Try not to breathe that deeply for now; it will only help your blood flow faster and the gas reach your cells faster as well." He turned back to the room. "We need to trash the place. Make sure it's not used again."

In reply, she nodded. "So that they can't rebuild it or torture anyone else."

The beyblade's were released at the same time, destroying everything that happened to be on their way. After some minutes, no one would ever recognize the once perfectly organized room as a scientific area, since all that was left were odd coloured liquids on the floor eating away at reports and plans, machines completely wrecked and broken shards of glasses a bit all over the place.

The teens put their blades back in their pockets once more. As soon as that was done, they broke into a run almost at the same time, absently knowing at the backs of their minds that due to the collapsing of the wall and damage to the rest of the remaining ones, the rest of that part of the Abbey would fall on top of them at any moment, along with the rest of the building afterwards. Though a few hundreds of feet away, Ten's vision faltered, as did her balance. Tala's arms were around her petite frame in a heart beat. Luckily, she had fallen over practically in front of him. If she had lost her balance and fallen to the other side, he wouldn't have the time to catch her.

"Ten?"

She opened her eyes gingerly, looking up at him, a slightly foggy look in them. She kept silent though, lips parted, but no sound coming from her throat. In the moment Tala was going to speak again, her hand reached up, resting over his cheek softly. His eyes turned away from hers, focusing on the necklace around her slender neck. The necklace he had given her for one of her birthdays and had suffered for that fact further on after Boris found out. "Yuriy.." he regretfully glanced into her eyes once more, "Did… Did you ever miss me... after you left?" He slowly nodded, still not sure of where she wanted to get with such a question and as to how he should react to it anyway. And the more he looked into her eyes, the closer they seemed to get, until she finally closed them softly.

And he felt her lips press into his.

From the moment her hand rested over his cheek, from the moment he started kissing her, he knew he should have pulled back. But he didn't. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer, his hands securing her to him and pulling her in an upright position. Their heads tilted to the side, lips slightly parted as they were pressed more urgently into one another's. Even if it was short-lived, the kiss was intense. They broke it at the same time, the look of pleasant surprise and hope in her eyes, longing and uncertainty in his.

Before any of them could even utter a word, her body suddenly went limp in his arms, her chin falling to his chest, long dark lashes slowly falling to cover bright violet hues.

"Ten?" at her lack of response, some unknown feeling made his chest seem tight, as two fingers were placed quickly over her neck. '_Her pulse is normal. Must've been the effects of the gas.' _His eyes narrowed as he placed an arm around her back, the other under her knees, picking her up properly, '_He'll pay. I promise you that.' _

He didn't notice a pair of large pale lavender hues following his every move, every step. "Ah nevah should've come..." tears of betrayal stung her eyes, "An' 'ere Ah thought Ah shou'd apologize to him…" she ran away on the opposite direction quickly.

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**Iris Catherine Blanchett  
**  
Experience 'The Seer'  
- Able to communicate with any bit-beasts and control them;  
- Able to use their energy;  
- (Possibility) Able to foresee the future with the help of the Sacred Bit-beasts.

Priorities:  
- Train and/or submit her;  
- Enable her of her powers by means of removal and/or usage;  
- Not let her know of her full powers;  
- Observe her;  
- Eliminate every member of true family.

Programmed with:  
Experience Double – Black Dranzer

His dark eyes turned away from the message, disgust clearly written in them. Kai looked around the office where he had first thought his grandfather was, after leaving Ray on the control room and knocking out a few security guards. Everything was deadly quiet now. '_Which means something's up... I can feel it.' _

The pressure on the air descended suddenly. That meant that something on the room was open.

"And what does a foolish boy think he can do, standing all alone in such a dangerous place and position?" a cold, calm, silky voice made his blood run cold as soon as he heard it.

"Grandfather." The slate-haired teen slowly turned around, eyebrows set in a deep frown.

Voltaire looked unconcerned at the sight of having his grandson searching through his office, "For what I see, you don't seem very surprised with the news." He made a general gesture towards his desk, where Iris's file was opened.

"I was already expecting something along these lines. It just needs to come out from you and your stupid organization for me to know something is not quite right." he took a step back, "What else did you do to her?"

"I see you're as sharp as my dear son was... Once." A smirk curved his lips, "Oh, not much, don't worry. She managed to run away before we were finished with her. With the help of those four others, I suspect." He frowned absent-mindedly, meaning the rest of the Demolition Boys, probably. "We needed to properly break her spirit. Only then, in total submission, would we succeed in removing her powers. Or, in the very least, mould her attitude in a more pleasant one, so that she obeyed."

"You're not telling me everything, or else, you wouldn't be that calm." His voice cut the small chit chat. He took another step back. '_Something's definitely off…'_

"Fiery and to the point, as usual..." the small smirk on his lips didn't quiver, "Still, you are right. That was just a small part of my plans. But the other's not all about Miss Blanchett. Besides, there is no need for me to worry about that one anymore."

The door opened suddenly, making him stand straighter and on guard. And the most shocking sight greeted him, the last one he was expecting to see at that moment. '_That can't be...' _

Iris stood before him, eyes cold and not offering any resistance when Boris placed one hand on her shoulder, leading her inside. Guards entered, surrounding the surprised boy and holding his arms down. His shocked gaze didn't leave her indifferent one.

Her now grey listless eyes looked over at Voltaire, with something akin to respect. And it was right then that he knew...

...TBC...

* * *

(1) **"Yizkov" means "remember" in Russian. Read it in a book entitled "Natasha", about the Holocaust. Just thought I'd put it there.**

(2) **"Prosti" means "sorry", also in Russian. Dunno where I read that, but it does. At least, I'm almost sure it does. Doesn't matter much, anyway.**

**Thanks to:  
**IcePhoenixLove:** Ah, dun worry about her not going. If she did, wat gud wud it b 4 the sequel? There wudn't b a need 4 it 2 exist. The part w/ Ray was just a little humorous thing I felt like writing xD He was just passing by their room while the couple was rather occupied, that was all. Nevertheless, I hope u enjoyed this chap & thank u 4 reviewing ;) **

Tenebrae Rosa: **Yeah, I kno, I had the same prob. Cudn't go on w/ reading the fics I am currently reading last night… Anyways, glad u liked & I redid the last scene 4 u, so b happy 4 it! & wat confusion were u talking about?**

Dark: Ok, so I was hoping 4 more reviews on the last chap… meh… but never mind that. This cliffy makes up 4 it.


	12. Revenge: Part II

**Dark: 12th chap. Only one week 2 b completed. Enjoy & plz review  
  
Summary/Disclaimer:** check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**Chapter 11... Revenge: Part II **

And it was right then that he knew something was not right. '_It's not her'._ She would never look at anyone that made her life a living hell like that, not even if her life depended on it. Her pride would never let her.

"As you can see, Kai-"

"That's not her."

Everyone turned to look at him, surprised, "What?"

"I don't know what you did, but that is **not** her." He tried in vain to free himself from the guards.

"Fine!" 'Iris' sneered, her form suddenly changing into a tall and older woman, her blonde her caught in a tight high ponytail. Every pair of eyes observed her in awe and even slight fear, except Voltaire's. She turned to the latter, "He is smarter than I had first thought... What do you plan on doing now, old man?" her voice had a slight accent.

"Patience is a virtue, my dear Velane. If he can't be fooled, we'll continue with the plan. In a more... forceful way."

"Do not forget our deal, human..." she grinned, her long canines glistening menacingly from the semi-dark environment, "If you do, I'll make sure you won't live to know how it feels to fool unus strix (1)."

"I'm sure you will."

Said Velane turned around, slapping Boris' hand away from her shoulder, a snarl on her lips, as she exited the room.

"Now, Kai... You realize this will happen, because it was your own free will, don't you?"

As the teen prepared to snap something back at his grandfather, a sharp pain was felt right at his nape. The smirking face of Voltaire was all he remembered before everything went black.

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"Great, now what? We just wait?" Ian glared at the Abbey, as he paced outside. Most of the students were out, safe and sound; the only ones who didn't get out were the Shadowed Blades and a few more. Escaping and beating up a few guards on their way for pure fun was also quick and now both he and Spencer were waiting outside. The surprise was to find the Majestic's on their way. "What a stupid, **stupid**, fucked up plan, Kai!" Ian continued complaining.

"You heard him. After finishing each part of the plan, we had to get out. Ray should be coming out soon too." Spencer stood beside the short boy's pacing, silently observing the building. In his hand, he absently twirled Seaborg around, '_Just to be sure.. Better safe than sorry.'_

"What? And stay here! My **cousin** just **entered** when I had my back turned! We need to get her back, NOW!" Johnny waved his arms widely, pointing to the Abbey, starting to get agitated, "God knows if she manages to get out alive!" Indeed, young Rosemary had sneaked inside, without them knowing.

"And what are **you** doing here anyways? No one said you should have even come!" the purple haired Russian took the chance to also snap at the snobbish team. What did they want, complaining about a spoiled little girl when she and a few more people, their **friends**, may die?

"It was Rosemary herself that insisted we should come and help you. You should be happy she even thought of you. I don't seem to find a reason as to why she would want that, though..." Robert muttered the last part to himself.

"And by doing her stupid bidding, look at what just happened! I'm going after her." As the redhead prepared to start walking, a cloaked figure walked in front of him suddenly. With a nod, it made him fall backwards to the floor, without as much as touching him.

Its voice was feminine, even if it was anything that neither of them had ever heard before, with a slight accent, "If I were you, I wouldn't do that. Leave it to us, human. They won't get **her**." With that, it was gone in a cloud of black smoke. A shiver ran down the spine of everyone as a sudden cold enveloped them all.

"What was that... **thing**?" Ray voiced everyone's thoughts, as he came out from the Abbey. No one could answer him.

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Tala stopped, leaning against a wall, as he caught his breath, Ten still in his arms. The girl in question moaned softly as her eyes opened gingerly, slowly focusing on him. Her lips started to form a smile, but it soon turned into an embarrassed one as everything came back to her. Especially when the boy holding her was the one she had just kissed.

He put her down gently, still supporting her, as his eyes searched hers, "You ok?"

"I am, now. Thanks to you." She took a step back, the distance managing to keep them from other thoughts, "We-We have to go back."

"No, we have to get **out** of the Abbey, not meet up with the others. You heard Kai. And for once, he's right." he started walking away.

"But what about them? What if they can't make it? What then?" she fought back the urge to shout some sense into him. The boy who has just been caring a few seconds ago was ready to leave his friends behind without even taking a glance back. "We **can** help them!"

Only a sigh met her ears, "We really don't have a choice in this. It's them or us. If we choose them, we'll probably put everyone at risk, as well as ourselves."

Looking around one last time, she followed silently, knowing he was right.

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Kai finally came around, feeling a massive head-ache already forming. Slowly, he opened his eyes, flinching slightly at the bright light that greeted him.

The first thing he noticed was that he was bound at the wrists and ankles. The second was that he couldn't feel Dranzer's presence anywhere near him. At that, his eyes snapped open. '_Dranzer...'_

No answer.

"Ah, you're awake." A familiar voice sounded from behind him. Voltaire walked forward, stepping into his field of vision.

"What do you want."

The man seemed to ignore the question, "If you weren't so foolish, this wouldn't be necessary." A smirk was glued to his lips, "You didn't need to suffer like this, Kai. Don't think this is easy for me; you **are** the next generation of our family after all."

He almost laughed, "And you expect me to believe that..."

"Do as you wish. But if you were intelligent, you would have brought the girl here, as soon as you knew she was this powerful."

His eyes narrowed, "I'd never bring someone here for you to make experiences on. You did enough already."

"It's a shame, really. You would be a good ally to The Cause." The woman from before stepped out of the shadows. As she passed by him, her hand lingered upon his cheek lightly. Much to his surprise, it was cold as ice. Not the normal cold when you're in winter, but inhumanly cold. He recoiled from her touch, goose bumps forming over his skin.

"Sir," another voice joined the conversation. Boris'. "Should we start?"

Voltaire turned around, once more smirking, "Ah, yes. Please do. Our guest is waiting, after all." Boris left after that. Silence ensued.

Until a surprised and slightly painful intake of breath sounded. It took him a few moments to realize it was his own. Something was wrong. His mind hurt as hell, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

A soft chuckle, which seemed extremely loud now that the pain was almost unbearable, sounded just beside his ear, "Can you guess what is wrong, young Kai? Why does your mind hurt so much?" the voice sounded amused at his pain. He stayed quiet though. Another chuckle, "Where could Dranzer be?"

'_So, that's it...' _He finally understood. Something was wrong with Dranzer. And Kai was feeling the same. Or a portion of it. '_The part of the pain Dranzer can't hold out...'_ "What the hell are you doing to him." More like an order than a question, but he answered him nevertheless.

"Don't tell me that you don't know? What do you think Black Dranzer really is? He's nothing more than Dranzer himself, but with dark power, instead of the power of the Light he has. For now. Besides, with our technology, it will be easy to modify a few cells and multiply his power."

"That would destroy his power's donor, meaning Dranzer!"

"And your point is?"

The teen opened his eyes regretfully, "You won't manage to control him. You'll create a monster that, in the end, will turn against you! Can't you see? It's completely useless." He managed to invoke a small smirk, "Whatever you do, you'll lose."

"Ah, but what if we **can** control the monster? That way, you're the one who will lose. BIOVOLT is much more advanced than you think." Voltaire turned away from him, "Prepare phase two."

A few seconds later, the pain intensified. He couldn't help a groan, as he tried to shut his mind from the intense pain. '_I can't even imagine how Dranzer's feeling.'_ "Dranzer..." a soft whisper left his lips.

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As she was ready to continue on her way, Bryan pulled Iris to the side. "What the hell are you doing!"

"You promised, or did you already forgot?"

"Huh?"

"Iris, as soon as we got Black Dranzer, we were supposed to get out of here as quickly as we could. Let's go!"

"No!" she pulled her arm back as if he was taking her to her own death, "Are you mad? I'm **not** leaving until everyone's safe!"

The boy sighed, muttering something about women under his breath, "Look, we need to get out of here, right now! I said I would get you out of here, and I will. Even if I have to knock you out to do so."

She gave him a look, "As if!" as he pulled her along towards one of the exits. With one last look over her shoulder, she followed.

As they both saw the others ahead, a sudden explosion made them look back to the Abbey once more. Their eyes widened. A fire had started in the second floor.

'_And Kai, Boris and Voltaire are probably on the upper levels. Which means, neither will have a way out!'_ Iris's heart clenched, suddenly remembering something. '_He placed something on my pocket..' _She took it out. A bright silver band greeted her matching eyes. Taking a closer look, the ring had two small phoenixes, in two symmetric stances, their wings opened wide.

Her hues glanced back towards the buildings, '_Don't you dare dying on me now... Not like this... Please...'  
_  
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Boris watched with glee as the power revealed itself. The beyblade had been released, as was the Fire Phoenix. But being protected by a powerful force-field didn't give the bit beast a very good chance to free itself. Not now, at least. Lasers were being shot in specific places of the room, trying to control the phoenix, which was doing everything in its power to prevent them of doing just that.

Dranzer screeched loudly, as the lasers kept coming. It wasn't to hurt, no. It was just to keep him in check, not to have a chance to escape while they do something else. If he tried to raise his power a bit more than they wanted to, the lasers intensified, hurting him. And he didn't like it in the least.

: Must... escape... Master Kai may be... in danger... :

That was all he was worried about for now. The intensity changed. This time, the rays were shot to weaken him. He screeched once more, faintly feeling his blader's distress. And knowing he could not help nor reach him made the bit beast even angrier. But as much as he tried, he couldn't free himself. His energy was lowering at an alarmingly fast rate. He knew he couldn't hold on for much more time.

The power they were extracting was to add to the Dark Phoenix's own power, making Black Dranzer more powerful than Dranzer, who he was created from. For now, the Fire Phoenix was still more powerful and the original bit beast. But Black Dranzer would get stronger, even if he was only the clone-like experience.

A sad screech sounded, as the phoenix returned to his beyblade, drained and extremely tired.

From the monitor he was watching thoroughly, Boris smiled in appreciation. '_Finally. His energy is completely drained.'_ His eyes looked to the big wide tube behind him, the pure raw energy restrained there moving everywhere, trying to free itself, just like its donor, '_Now, all I have to do is pass that power to Black Dranzer.' _"Prepare Black Dranzer. Bring him here afterwards. Phase three is about to begin." A few minutes later, one of his other monitors turned on. It was from the Experiences Wing, the room where Black Dranzer was kept. "Yes?"

"I'm afraid to inform you, Sir, that someone was here before. They took Black Dranzer, and his display window is shattered."

"What? But it was made of unbreakable glass! Besides, no one could ever-" the purple haired man stopped himself, realization dawning in his mind. "Blast those freaks! It was them all along!" he turned on the monitor to Voltaire's office.

"What is it?" Voltaire's voice sounded slightly annoyed, but his expression was one of satisfaction.

"I think we have a problem, Voltaire..."

"The energy draining must've gone just fine. Our guest just fainted a few moments ago."

"Yes, it did, but..." the scientist sighed, "Black Dranzer is gone, Sir."

"What! But how?"

"We don't know, Sir. Nothing was recorded in the vigilance system. And the unbreakable glass is completely broken. And I think that... it was **them**, Sir."

"That's impossible! Velane left, yes, but I'm sure it wasn't for-" a loud explosion sounded, interrupting Voltaire. A monitor suddenly turned on, as Voltaire looked at it. It was from the same room where Boris was, but from a different angle.

The large tube that restrained the Fire Phoenix's energy had been destroyed, and said energy was no where to be seen. The same went for Boris. "No!" Movement caught the elder's interest once more though. Among the fire the explosion had created, a dark figure walked forward, shattering the remains of the wide tube, making it impossible to be rebuilt. A wise but incredibly soft voice whispered to the darkness and silence of the room, "Tu ire nimius progredi. Et nunc, tu iras pendere magno eam ob rem (2)..." the image of the security camera started to get fuzzy, as if there was some kind of interference, until it went completely black.

"Semíramis... I thought she was dead!"

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'_Please...'_

His eyes opened again. He didn't feel as bad as he did when he fainted. Now, the soreness seemed to be just a simple memory. '_That's strange... What the hell happened?' _The pain he shared with Dranzer seemed to be gone. And Voltaire wasn't in the room. He was the only one in that office, even if, after a look at it, the door was locked.

Kai stood up gingerly, carefully. Okay, some pain, but not anywhere close to that he had felt before. '_Dranzer?'_

: I'm here, Master Kai... On the second floor. How are you feeling?. :

'_Much better than you, I'm sure. I'll be there as soon as I get out of here.' _As he moved towards the door, it suddenly opened. The teen stepped back. A cloaked figure entered, its frame very alike the 'Velane' his grandfather had talked to.

"Tu. Redite viam." It pulled its hood, a woman's features showing off through a curtain of midnight straight black hair, "I said, let's go. It is not safe here." So, it wasn't her.

"Really? The other one was under Voltaire's orders-"

"Velane is not one to follow anyone's orders. As soon as she can, she will kill the one you call Voltaire. She only wants the Praeceptrix. I may be from her clan also, ita, but I'm her rival. Some call me The Light, others, Semíramis. But please, you must come. You must take Lord Dranzer away from here. Lord Black Dranzer is in the Praeceptrix's hands now. But you need to hurry, youngling. You must go."

"I never saw you before. For all I know, you can kill me as soon as I turn my back. How exactly do I know I can trust you?"

The humanoid smiled mysteriously, "That is obvious. You don't. However, if you don't want to lose your precious bit beast, I advise you to go. Unintentionally, I have started a fire. I have forgotten how fragile human construction materials can be." The last part was muttered to herself, but he heard it, as he lifted an eyebrow, keeping quiet though.

'_Guess I have no choice whatsoever.' _"Fine." He walked towards the door, looking one last time at her, "You're not coming?"

"I have an objective to accomplish here, boy. Go on."

Hesitating for a few seconds at first, the slate-haired teen continued on his way through the endless corridors. As the smell of fire intensified, so did his pace, as he started running along the halls. Finally finding the room he was searching for, he avoided carefully the burning machines and circuits, quickly finding Dranzer. Luckily, unharmed. The chip shined as he approached.

'_Hey, Dranzer... Good to have you back.'_

: It's good to be back, young Master... :

Once safe in his pocket again, Kai turned around, exiting the room.

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An explosion sounded, making them both look back, slightly startled.

"What was that?"

"Duh, an explosion, Yuriy..." just as Ten finished her sentence, the all-too familiar groaning of iron met their ears. Familiar yes, but in the movies. "Please tell me that that's not what I think it is..."

"I so hate it when you're right.." he turned his head to the corridor in front of him. A piece of the ceiling fell, making Ten jump slightly in surprise.

"We really need to walk slow-" Tala interrupted her as he quickly ran in the opposite way, dragging her along, "Stop it; you'll only make things even worse! This thing may go all down on us!"

"It will, if we don't hurry. Now come on!"

On their way, they found a surprised Rosemary, walking slowly along the halls. Her light eyes looked back, as she focused on them, as they ran past her and quickly skidded to a stop, "What are ya-"

"Run!" not even letting her finish, Tala grasped her wrist in the same fashion he was doing to Ten, pulling both girls along with him.

'_We won't make it on time.. We're still a bit far, and this place will go down in only a few minutes!' _The Russian girl thought desperately; she knew this was the quicker way, but still it was too slow. As they turned a corner, a few guards waited them.

"There they are!"

"Aww, gods, can't we jus' geht a bit o' luck 'ere!" Instinctively, Rose leaned into Tala, who absently pulled her closer to him, glaring at the guards who were slowly approaching.

Ten looked at them both, her eyes softening for a few seconds, nodding silently, _I've made my decision. 'It's only fair, after all.' _Taking out her beyblade and launcher, she released it in the guards' way, startling them for a few moments. The top quickly changed directions, moving towards a small, almost hidden door. She remembered it would lead them to the laundry room, two levels down. From there, the exit was quick. As it connected with the handle, the blade returned to its owner, the door opening swiftly.

Tala quickly got the idea, as he ran towards it, helping Rosemary go through the small entrance. He turned around to help Ten, but she had been caught by the guards, even if two of them were out by her hand. Her eyes locked with his, as she mouthed, giving him a small sad smile, "Go. You don't need me. It's ok." Closing his eyes at the sight, he quickly followed the Scottish girl.

"Wh-Where's t'e othah gi'l?" she asked him, as he landed graciously on his feet, looking slightly paler than normal.

He looked up at her, shaking his head gently, whispering, "She didn't make it. I-I couldn't help her."

Rose walked forward, taking his hand in hers, "Don't blame yaself. It wasn't yer fault..."

"But it's not-" the words died on his lips as her finger was placed upon them.

"As you said, we need to go, Yuriy." Her eyes turned away from his, as she walked away, towards the exit, trying to slow down the beating of her heart. '_Why, oh why do's my body act like t'is when 'e did w'at 'e did?'_

Even if her back was turned, he nodded nevertheless, walking past her and opening the door for her, as they exited the room. "Turn left. It will lead us outside." Tala wasn't too sure of his feelings towards these two girls.

Ten knew his past, knew practically everything there was to know about him.

Rosemary didn't, although she understood him and never judged his decisions. Even if she didn't agree with his choice of coming here, she didn't stop him.

Ten also had a hard past and, like him, wasn't all that sure that the word Love even existed in this universe.

Rosemary believed in him and in their relationship, making him see there was something more than beyblading and training.

Both different, but both with an enormous significance to him.

'_But for now, my priority is to put Rosemary safely outside. I was too much of an idiot for letting Ten alone with all those guards. I should've known she couldn't handle them **all** at the **same time**...' _In a few minutes, they found the door that would lead them to their freedom, as they pushed it open.

Cold fresh air met their nostrils, as she grinned tiredly at him, his reply a very small smile. They had made it.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Kai was running in a bee-line, as pieces of the ceiling and walls fell everywhere. Join the fire here and there, and this seemed a battle zone. '_Which probably was...'_ He saw the scratches of beyblade's in some walls, as he smirked to himself, _Good. _A few more meters and everything should be just fine. '_I just hope everyone got out alright.' _

Launching Dranzer a bit ahead of him, the bit beast quickly destroyed the handle of the door, returning to his stretched hand once more. Pushing the busted door, he slowed his pace, looking around the snowy field. He was at the back of the Abbey, but out of it all the same.

Letting out a soft sigh of relief, and smirking slightly as he heard the Abbey's walls and ceiling crumble, he started walking again, his breathing returning to normal after the sudden running.

Turning the corner, he saw the fire burning through the windows on the second floor of the Abbey with satisfaction. '_Perhaps now, they'll give up trying to take over the world...'_ Looking in the opposite direction, the sight of everyone else running towards him made him smile softly.

"Kai!" Iris was the first one to arrive, surprising everyone else by wrapping her arms around his neck (the big surprise was that he didn't stop her), " I thought I'd lost you back there... You ok?"

He hugged her back briefly, before pulling away, "I'm fine, just slightly tired. Nothing that a good night's sleep won't cure. Everyone got out ok?" as he said it, Tala and Rosemary looked away.

"We all did, except Ten. She.. She didn't make it. We couldn't help her in time." the red head said quietly, his turquoise gaze looking to the buildings again.

After that, the BladeBreakers' captain stayed quiet, his eyes following the other boy's.

Movement caught her attention, as Iris looked over Kai's shoulder to try to see it again. Her breathing hitched, as her eyes widened, '_No, he won't. That can't be... he...' _

Voltaire was approaching them from behind, a murderous expression in his normally emotionless face. It could be a good opportunity to laugh at his figure, if it wasn't for the unspoken menace he carried on his right hand.

A gun.

Pointing it in Kai's direction.

It was a matter of seconds, but she watched it in slow motion. First her eyes widened in realisation of what was about to happen... The pulling of the trigger... The clenching of her heart... And her reaction.

"Kai.. NO!" when she yelled, the rest of the gang was just turning around to see where the noise from the shot came from. Not having any time, she did what she thought was best. Quickly grasping his shoulders, she turned the clueless boy around in a half circle, putting her body in his former position, covering his.

Through the whole thing, the only thing that she saw was his eyes. The emotions passing by them were very alike the ones she had just experienced. First questioning, then comprehension and finally fear. The girl's quick thinking saved them both, as the bullet flew through the air, hardly a foot away from them.

No one saw Voltaire's escapade after that, too worried about their two friends.

"Oh gods, are you two alright!"

"Fine. Luckily it was just a scare..." Kai visibly relaxed, his arms absently holding Iris, who was with her eyes closed. "Everything's fine."

The rest of them all nodded.

The black haired girl frowned slightly, '_By my calculations, the bullet should've hit me... What happened then?'_

"Yuriy?" At the sound of his name, said boy turned to Rosemary, who looked a bit nervous. She continued, "Ah-I wanted to say t'at... I'm sorry... Ah didn't have t'e right tah say what Ah said yesterday. And t'e nig't befo'. You were right. Ya had yer reasons an' Ah didn't respect t'at. I'm sorry..."

"I know." He walked closer to her, reaching up to gently cup her cheek, "That was one of the reasons you came, wasn't it?" She nodded slowly, not looking away from him, ending up blushing faintly. "And may I know the other reasons?"

Her voice had lowered to a soft whisper, "I-I dunno..."

"Then, let me.." his head tilted sideways as he leaned in, his eyes slowly closing. But firm hands on his chest made him stop and look questioningly to her, "What-"

"Ah saw you kissin' 'er, Tala. T'is is all a lie. Please, don't do t'is. Ya don't want to.." A lone tear escaped her, as she turned her head away.

"What are-" then, it all came back to him. "You saw us?"

Her lavender eyes flashed angrily, "Yeah, an' Ah bet if Ah didn't, ya would have said 'Oh sorry 'bout t'e othe' night, Rose, please let's jus' get on wi' it'! Right? Figures! Ya'll t'e same!"

"No, I would've told you, if you had asked me. But the truth is, I don't like her, Rosemary. I did, once, I won't deny that. But for quite some time, my mind is thinking on somebody else. And that somebody happens to be you." At the sincere tone his words had, she looked at him once more, into those electric blue hues.

Right then, she knew she couldn't say no to him. He couldn't be lying about this, he just couldn't. Or maybe it was just her optimist nature. Whatever it was, it made her eyes soften, as she pressed her lips against his in a small peck, pulling back afterwards, before everyone else noticed.

Tala smiled at her, an arm wrapping around her waist loosely, as they turned to face the others. Iris seemed to be the only one who knew about what had just happened as she winked at them, but by his furious face, Johnny must've seen that too. Despite her brother's reaction, Rosemary didn't walk away from the Russian boy.

"So..." Ian started, as they were walking back to the hotel, "What's it gonna be now? What will happen?"

Both Kai and Tala switched stares at that, looking back to the girls walking by their sides.

"Well, Ah guess Ah'll return to Scotland, with mah brothe'. Maybe in t'e next tournament, we'll meet again, eh?" Rosemary distanced herself from the warm embrace she was experiencing, going back to walk with the Majestic's. She didn't want to face Tala's questions right now.

"And now with the Abbey gone, we also don't have much problem in staying here, right?" Spencer looked at the rest of the Demolition Boys, who nodded.

"I'm sure Mr. D won't mind helping you guys a bit by giving you a place to stay and train too." Ray added, "As for me, while a tournament isn't too close, I'll return to the White Tigers for sometime. Max also said he wanted to pay a visit to Judy and the All Starz."

"And what about you, Iris?"

Her pace faltered for a moment, before she glanced at the mahogany questioning eyes. "Me? Nothing much, I guess... I'll go back to Portugal for some time, reunite with some old friends." A small smile played upon her lips, "For years, I don't have news from them. And I miss them badly. But in the next tournament, wherever it is, I'll go!"

"Hn. I'm sure." Again, he felt a bit empty. They would separate, to go on their different ways, to live their lives. Alone. '_What a weakness.. To be feeling like this.' _

Suddenly, the silver eyed female remembered, taking out the small ring from her pocket, "Oh, here. I almost forgot. This is yours." She handed it to him, but he shook his head, not taking it back.

"I gave it to you, remember? So, keep it. It meant a lot to my mother. She passed it to me when she was dying. Because I was an important part of her life. And now, I pass it to you. It's in your hands now. You're responsible for it."

"Oh." '_Duh, nice answer, Iris! Oh? Urrgh...' _A faint blush covered her cheek bones. '_Glad that no one's looking, except Kai.' _She slipped the slender band into her finger, noticing that it was obviously made for a woman, fitting her perfectly. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. You don't need to."

"Alright, if you say so." She leaned more into him, nuzzling his shoulder. '_This is going to be one of the last times I'll do this for quite some time...'_ "So, does this mean that I'm an important part of your life, like you were to your mother?"

"You can say that."

"I see. But the most important thing has already been made though."

"What do you mean?" a light eyebrow rose in her direction.

She giggled, "You." As he rolled his eyes, she let out another chuckle, "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

"You know, you're getting way too sappy for my liking."

His reply was a not-so-gentle slap on the arm, "Hey! I resent that!"

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"Shall we?" a hissing feminine voice sounded through gritted non-human sharp teeth, looking away from the tired, but victorious teens.

"Not now, Marishka." A slightly deeper, but also female voice, wiser and more patient, replied, "We cannot take such a chance. These mortals must not see us. Our master said so. You heard him..."

The younger being moved restlessly from her high perch, "Our Lord said to bring the Praeceptrix, Aleera. That is our mission."

"Yes. But he also gave us strict orders: **no one** is allowed to see us, but she."

"And do you really think they don't realize it? Semíramis helped them. The boy knows. We changed that bullet's direction. They will get suspicious. We have to take her now, before they discover our intentions!"

"We shall have our chance, sister. We have waited for centuries. We can wait for a few more days, weeks, months. It is of little matter to us."

"But if we killed them now-"

"As much as that possibility pleases my needs," ivory fangs glistened in a wicked grin as the other interrupted, "We shall wait. There will be a time where the humans will fear our names once more. And that time is near, Marishka. But while that, we must go." As a cold breeze suddenly appeared, the two creatures went with it.

* * *

...TBC...

(1) **"unus" means, "a" or "one". Can't tell u about the other word, or I'd ruin the sequel's surprise.**

(2) **"****Tu ire nimius progredi. Et nunc, tu iras pendere magno eam ob rem" means or at least is supposed 2 mean "****You have gone too far. And now, you shall pay dearly for that." the verbs r probably wrong, but bare w/ me  
**


	13. Is this goodbye?

**Dark: The Epilogue. Silent Tears is now complete. Hope u liked it. Sorry 4 not updating last week, but skool started 4 me, so I was kinda occupied.  
  
Summary/Disclaimer:** check the prologue, I don't repeat myself.

"..." speaking

'_Italics'_ thoughts

: … : bit beast talking

* * *

**Epilogue... Is this good-bye?  
**  
Anyone who saw any member of the gang through the next day, he or she would swear that someone had died. Almost everyone was silent and even the youngest and usually sugar high bladers were less energetic.

Now that all was over, the BladeBreakers were leaving back to Japan. The Demolition-Boys would stay for a few more days, the Majestic's would separate and return to their own countries... And the Lusitanian girl would go back to Portugal. All this, within three days.

Which was why everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves till the last second.

"Let it RIP!"

Dragoon landed on the bey-dish, followed swiftly by a powerful-looking Lugiohan.

"Hehe, this time you'll lose!"

"Meh, you wish! Me and Lugiohan don't agree with that." She grinned conspiratorially at him as her bit beast appeared.

Everyone else was around the stadium, watching. Tyson had just boldly challenged Iris and she had gladly agreed, with a mysterious glint in her eyes.

"Oh yeah? I'm still the World Champion, so bleh!" the gang rolled their eyes as the navy blue-haired boy stuck his tongue out at the girl childishly.

The beyblade's spun, circling each other in a hostile way, both acknowledging the power of the other. Dragoon suddenly attacked, hitting the phoenix straight on. Or so it seemed. She didn't even seem to notice his attack, as her blader smirked.

"Something's the matter, oh mighty World Champ?"

"Knock it off!" surprise was in his eyes, as she chuckled at him.

'_I can almost see the wheels turning on that hollow head of his...'  
_  
Bryan copied her smirk, as he commented quietly, "She's up to something..."

The redhead snickered from his spot beside a lightly sleeping Rosemary, who was resting against his shoulder, "Yeah, I know that look in her eyes anywhere. Tyson, it would be better if you just stepped on your top to spare you the shame of seeing it destroyed!"

Tyson's anger got the better of him again as he seethed at Tala, "Why don't you come here instead and win, you fur-ball!"

Everyone else laughed, as the offended boy quirked an eyebrow, "Fur-ball? Is that the best you can come up with? Wow, I'm hurt..."

That small exchange was everything the battle needed to be decided though. "Thanks, Yuriy." Iris winked at him briefly, as the gang's attention turned back to the grinding beyblade's immediately, "I summon your power, Phoenix of Thunder! Seeker Spirit attack!"

A beautiful melody was heard, chanted by Lugiohan as she opened her wings wide in a demonstration of elegance and power. A soft breeze was felt, small shimmering dots appearing out of the blue in the air around them.

Kenny was making his best imitation of a fish out of water, as he opened his mouth and closed it again, speechless. He reached out, seemingly to be grasping the oddly-glinting air, "This shimmer... Is it power!"

"You bet it is, Chief." Dizzy answered for him.

Iris's own eyes softened at the view from their usual sharpness and coldness, "Beautiful, isn't it?" Bit beast and Praeceptrix locked eyes, as the glinting intensified, concentrating around the phoenix's body. A loud screech sounded and the power started to be absorbed by Lugiohan, her bright green eyes looking in Dragoon's direction as she flew towards him.

: I must apologise, Lord Dragoon, for what I'm about to do. :

: It is of little matter to me, Lady Lugiohan. The little one still has a lot to learn. He will be the one who will be most hurt by this defeat, not me. : Dragoon's red gaze fell upon Tyson, as he gave him an imperceptible nod.

Wind and Thunder collided as everyone was blinded by the light the impact created. In the end, everything that was left, was a beyblade as dark as a moonless night spinning in the only piece of the stadium that was left among all the dust that had gathered. The rest of it was sprawling all over the ground, along with a dismounted, but not broken, Dragoon. Around the still spinning blade, little bolts of energy flashed as if in an unspeakable promise that it had been close though.

At first, Tyson was too stunned to even move, but when he realised this last fact, he quickly started looking for the bit chip, "Man, Iris, are you out of your mind! If something happened to Dragoon, I'll-" he suddenly sighed in relief as he spotted the small piece, lying right in front of him, unharmed and glowing steadily. He clutched it to his chest, muttering 'thank you's' to whoever listened, head upturned to the sky.

"This served not only to distinguish my superiority from you, but for you to see how it feels to lose Dragoon. Didn't like it, did you?"

"Still! No need to give me a heart attack, woman!"

Ian snickered, "You aren't even old enough for that to happen, you stupid! None of us is."

As soon as they heard him, everyone else started laughing at Tyson's clueless expression, as he kept checking if Dragoon was damaged in any way. "How exactly did you manage that anyway, Iris?"

"Well, duh, it's called training, no?"

"I know that, but how did you find such a vicious attack like that one?"

"I've been thinking about it for quite sometime. And you were my guinea pig." She giggled lightly, "Consider yourself lucky that I didn't decide to let it go to its full potential..."

"Meh... No fair!" as the Dragon Holder pouted, the others chuckled at him whole heartedly.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

Violet eyes glinted in amusement, '_That's the Iris I know'._ Sitting in a branch of a nearby tree, Ten had seen the battle with little surprise. After all, her long time friend **had** been up to something. She wouldn't agree to battle with a small grin like that one if she hadn't.

Opting to keep hiding in the shadows, her eyes turned briefly to the redhead just as his arm wrapped around the Scottish girl's shoulders. Those same eyes of hers saddened, '_I see it's time to move on and forget about him. He did, so guess I'll have to do the same.' _A soft sigh left her parted lips as she gingerly climbed down the tree. The encounter with the guards and all the commotion at trying to escape the now ruined Abbey had left her tired and with a few injuries.

'_Not to mention that I have to keep it low now. I really **don't** need Voltaire finding me in this weakened state I'm in right now.' _Turning her back to the other teens, she left the area they were in. '_But we'll see... BladeBreakers, Demolition Boys...' _she chuckled at the next thought, '_Dominatrix, if Iris's choice of a name is still the same... We'll see each other again, and once we do, my team and I will be ready.' _

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

The wind was reduced to a soft breeze, which was strange in a country as cold as Russia. The white and grey clouds advanced lazily in the sky, the resisting leaves flowing with it.

A pure black beyblade was launched, quickly followed by a dark blue one.

"Dranzer! Black Dranzer! Arise!"

Both phoenixes did so, screeching, two pairs of wings flapping, as they turned to the slate-haired blader who had invoked them both, before glaring at each other in loathe. They both knew what the young Hiwatari wanted to do without having to read his mind. The winner would take it all, all the power. There wasn't a place for them to exist both. Too long has already passed.

Kai stepped further away from them warily. This wouldn't be light at all, he knew that.

**: No need to step away, Master Kai. This is already decided. :  
**  
: Stay away, little one. :

Even in his mind, both bit beasts were trying to get the upper hand over him. They attacked at the exact same time, in the exact same way, symmetrically.

: We do not have to go through this. You know that. :

**: Spare me the touching speech, Lord Dranzer. The nearer I am from him, the nearer I will be from my Holder. :  
**  
: You do not have a Holder, and it's certainly not the Praeceptrix! You do not have a place in here. You and I are part of each other. :

**: No!. : **

Black Dranzer pulled back, dark irises glaring at the Fire Phoenix, who simply returned the fierce look.

The watching blader closed his eyes in thought, as he remembered the correct words. He couldn't say them wrong...

««Flashback»»  
"Remigrare eam esse unus solus, ut estam olim." Iris's silver blue eyes opened once more as she looked back at him. They were in the hotel's balcony. "It means 'Return to be just one, like you once were'. As both of them will be connected to you through your mind, you only have to keep repeating these words, loud and clear. You can't help Dranzer in any other way, Phoenix. If you try to give him your energy, Black Dranzer will be able to use it too, and you'll only end up tired or knocked out."

He pulled away from the wall he was leaning on, approaching her as he took out the bit beast in question. Dranzer's bit chip shined in response, warming up his fingertips. "I know. I have complete trust in him. He'll do it."

She gave a small sad smile in return, "He has to. Otherwise..." she trailed off, taking out the black chip from her pocket. It shined in a sinister way, as if daring her to destroy it, while letting her know she couldn't, "Bloody evil little thing."

A hand covered hers, hiding the glinting from her view. Hiding the menace from her. Keeping her safe. He was the only one capable of making her feel that way, "You worry too much..." his lips brushed against hers softly, barely there. The thought of what could happen left her mind as she concentrated on his caresses.  
««End Flashback»»

'_Remigrare eam esse unus solus, ut estam olim.'  
_  
Both bit beasts looked back at him in silence and, in the Dark Bit Beast's case, surprise. Black Dranzer's stare hardened even more in Kai's direction.

**: Traitor! Do not think that this will be the end!. :** he screeched loudly, leaving the battle completely and advancing towards the boy, downright furious. **: How dare you!. : **

The boy leaned against the tree behind him, closing his eyes tightly. The words boomed in his mind louder than anything else he had experienced, the Darkness threatening to overcome him, and his mind seemed ready to explode, hurting like never before.

: This is our battle! He has nothing to do with this. : the other phoenix stepped in his way a few feet away luckily: Leave him be. : the soothing presence ebbed part of the pain, the warmth welcome.

"Remigrare eam esse unus solus, ut estam olim." Only a whisper, but loud and clear in his mind. Mahogany depths opened, gingerly at first, then locking with soulless dark eyes.

Dranzer attacked, his strength renewed by those words. Both bit chips started shining more intensely.

"Remigrare eam esse unus solus, ut estam olim!" the shining became too intense for unprotected eyes. Closing his again, Kai waited. After some minutes, one humiliated, defeated screech was heard and another victorious one took its place, echoing in the small woods. He finally looked back at the battle, only to find only one phoenix looking back at him calmly, pride glowing in his fiery stare.

Dranzer.

"You did it."

: So it seems, young Master. My original power has been restored once again, thanks to you. : The Fire Phoenix nodded its elegant neck. : I will never be able to thank you enough. : Not only was his power bigger; in size, he also grew. And all over his body, there were a couple of feathers that were trimmed in black now, as for the set of black feathers all the way from the top of his head to his beak. Dranzer stretched his long wings, screeching again, quieter now, before nodding once more and returning to his blade, which flew into Kai's outstretched hand.

'_Don't worry about it. You've helped me so many times already and all I did was push you away and ignore your warnings; this was my turn to help you.'_

Looking around one more time after picking up the fallen black beyblade, the bit chip now empty, the slate-haired teen turned to walk back to the hotel. However, he did feel as if he was being watched. And, like usual, he wasn't wrong.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"He did well. Very well indeed."

"And why do you even care, sister? We should be following her, not her beloved one. We do not care about him. Nor do we need to." Marishka sounded pretty annoyed, as she jumped from the tree she was in, her long reddish brown curls waving in the wind.

Aleera landed near her, sneering, "It is very easy to see you are not used to this kind of hunting. We cannot hurt the Praeceptrix. And if we break her, we will damage her powers. We cannot have that. The best way, is to use the ones who are close to her. To change her mind into doing what we want her to do. By manipulating her."

"As if she would agree in doing something that she won't survive through..."

"Ah, but she doesn't know that little detail now, does she?" with a smirk and the movement of silk over skin, they were both gone.

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

"There will be a **what**?"

Tala sighed, and with much effort, resisted the urge to smack his forehead, "A ball. Is there an echo in here? I've said this three times!"

"A **wh**-! Ah, never mind! I'm not going!" Iris got up hurriedly, trying to escape the glaring violet eyes which belonged to a certain Rosemary McGregor.

"Nah, uh huh! Yes, ya're!"

"Not!"

"Aww, c'mon!" the boys raised their eyebrows as Rose started to chase the refusing girl, "W'at's so bad 'bout it?"

"Believe me; I have a bad experience with balls."

"Gotta give mey a bettah 'xcuse, Miss Blanche'!"

"Dresses!" everyone sweat-dropped at the way that sounded. Iris could be faced with anything about beyblading, but the idea of having to attend a ball seemed to be actually creeping her out.

"We'll seey! T'e boys ovah ther' mig't not use tuxes, but WE ar' goin' in dresses!" said boys looked at her in relief.

"We… don't?"

"Don't ya think ya'll go wit' t'ose clothes eithah, but ya don' need tah go **t'at** fancy, Ah think." She waved a hand dismissively, still trying to catch Iris.

"That's good to know..."

"But YOU, mah dea' Iris, will come wit' mey!"

"I refuse to wear a bloody dress!"

"Ya will n' ya'll luv it!"

…45 minutes later…  
Wide silver blue eyes looked at the enormous variety of clothes in front of her, "I can't believe you actually dragged me here. And to **this** store!"

"Sumthin' wrong wit' it?"

"Nah, nothing, it's just that it's **the biggest store in all Moscow**!"

"No need tah worrey wit' money, if t'at's w'at ya mean!"

"It's not-! ARRGH! Never mind!"

"Ah won't!"

**smack **

"Why 'xactly did ya smack yer awn fo'head?" Rosemary giggled softly, as she swept her hand over the silk dresses. She stopped suddenly, pulled one out and placed it right below Iris's chin, who was sulking beside her friend.

"Hey! What do you-" she was interrupted by the squeal the redhead gave.

"Aww, it seems like it was made fo' ya! Go n' try it!"

The Lusitanian girl laughed nervously, "Ah, no, really... Don't bother with that!" she gulped, as the other narrowed her eyes.

"If ya keep t'is up, we're in fo' a big day, Missy... Not t'at Ah mind, t'at is."

"Oh, c'mon, Rose.. Please? Err, Rosie?" without realising it, Iris had walked right inside one of the stalls due to the stalking of the other girl, right where Rosemary wanted her. Her eyes widened in realization.

The Scottish girl closed the door behind her, locking it, her lips set in an evil grin, "Hehe, start strippin', Blanche'!"

"No! Let me out!..." with a final whine which ended in a half groan, afterwards there were only giggles and squeals.

The unmoving males that accompanied them could've been mistaken by statues. Suddenly, Ian cracked up laughing, "I can't believe it! Iris is actually going to start looking like a normal girl!"

"I heard that!" came the reply from inside the room.

"Anyways, we should go and find something for us too. Let's go." following Tala's lead, they walked away from both girls.

…The ball's night, last night in Russia…  
"I'm not so sure about this, Rose..." Iris looked at her reflection in the wide, full length mirror, not looking all that comfortable.

"Bu' why? It suits ya jus' fa'ne! Ye look beautiful in dresses, Iris. Seems like it was made speci'lly fer ya." Rosemary glared at her friend's mirror self suddenly, "Ye're not goin' back now t'at ye're all dressed, rig't?"

"I don't have anything else to wear, so I guess not. Still, I'm not all that comfortable.." she twirled in front of the mirror one or two times, liking what she saw at the back of her mind, but not believing. "It's not that it's not pretty, far from it really, but..."

Staring back at her was a seemingly older version of herself, her hair cascading down her back for once, sleek and straight, the red tips almost glowing. Her eyes seemed even more clear than usual due to the dark eye-shadow she had on and her lips glinted in response to the clear lip-gloss she had on.

The dress itself was all black with a soft silver shimmer here and there. It hugged her curves in just the right way, the two slender straps that wrapped around her neck gave way to a slight V-cut, accentuating her chest nicely, but not letting one see too much. Her back was bare, much to her annoyance at first, only four straps crisscrossing the small of her back to keep both sides of the dress together. The skirt grazed her ankles, where her pair of black boots peeked from underneath, the two slits on each side of it going up till almost her mid-thigh.

"W'at's t'e matte'?"

"It's… odd, that's all."

The other giggled, "Aww poo' ya! Too lathe fer t'at, Ah'm afra'd! T'e boys sho'd be alre'dy waitin'." Rosemary's crimson dress sparkled in the light as they both hurried to the ball room of the hotel. It was quite simple; it reached her mid-thigh, while the silk hugged every curve of her body. The sleeves were see-through and her cut was a bit more accentuated than hers, but she only showed half of her back though.

Both girls entered the room of the hotel where the ball was going to be held. It had a semi-dark environment, simple but discreet. They could tell it hadn't started yet, since there was no music on for now.

'_Not that I want to dance or anything...'_ Iris glanced around, not seeing anyone she knew. "Damn, where are they?" when she got no answer, she turned to her side, seeing no one. She sweat-dropped, "Sheesh, thanks, Rose." Not knowing where everyone else was, she opted to lean against the nearest wall. Though not in her usual fashion, or her cut would give some taller boys a nice view. She opted to put her hands behind her back instead.

A soft song suddenly started, as she looked up to see most of the couples reunite and walk up to the dance floor. She smiled softly as she spotted Tala and Rosemary. "He should wear a simple shirt and jeans like those more often..." She said to no one in particular. Her childhood friend was wearing light jeans and a light blue shirt, which accentuated his bright blue eyes. "They make a cute couple."

"They actually do." she didn't expect to be responded though. Even if she was startled, she didn't move. That voice could only belong to one boy.

"I told you **not** to sneak upon me, Kai. You know that."

"And good evening to you too." Iris could almost see his eyes roll, "Care to dance?" one of his hands ran down her bare arm, intertwining their fingers. Since he was standing behind her, she couldn't see him, but she was sure he didn't have his arm guards on.

"Don't like it very much, but I hadn't found the perfect partner before either, had I?" her back leaned against his chest. By the feel of his shirt on her skin, it was silk.

"Is that a yes or a no?"

_She sits in her corner,  
Singing herself to sleep  
Wrapped in all of the promises  
That no one seems to keep... _

_She no longer cries to herself,  
No tears left to wash away  
Just diaries of empty pages  
Feelings gone astray_

_But she will sing_

"Do I really have to answer that for you?" her index finger was placed just under his chin as she led him along to the dance floor. He made no move to stop her, but he walked at least one step behind her. Whether it was not to step on her skirt, which did graze the floor, or for another reason, she didn't know. From the corner of her eye, she managed to see that his shirt was black. _'It's always such a harsh contrast to such pale skin such as his... But I like it.'_

Her hips moved at the soft, entrancing rhythm of the song, as his hands rested over them, his body still behind hers. "Over the waist is friendly, over the hips is when you want me. Is my theory right?"

He leaned in, his bangs tickling her bare skin as he whispered, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

_Till everything burns,  
While everyone screams  
Burning their lies,  
Burning my dreams _

_All of this hate,  
And all of this pain,  
I'll burn it all down  
As my anger reigns  
Till everything burns…_

His hold on her tightened slightly, pulling her closer. Once more, she trusted on the feel of his trousers over her calve muscles. _'Jeans...'_

_Walking through life unnoticed,  
Knowing that no one cares  
Too consumed in they masquerade  
No one sees her there… _

_And still she sings_

"Ironic, isn't it?" his voice at her ear again was barely heard over the music and chattering, but she didn't want it in any other way. A shiver ran through her spine.

"Being here like this after all that happened or the lyrics?" she whispered back, just as softly.

"Both, now that you mention it." Those strong arms of his pulled her even closer. Between her back and his chest, the little space there was before, was now gone.

"In a way, yes." she nodded in agreement to his question, "It's the exact mirror of what we all feel, you, me, Wolf, Spence, Bry, Ian. The way the world seems to be always against us, that everything seems to always go wrong-"

"You're blabbing."

_Till everything burns,  
While everyone screams  
Burning their lies,  
Burning my dreams _

All of this _hate,  
And all of this pain,  
I'll burn it all down  
As my anger reigns_

_Till everything burns  
_  
Iris could swear her cheeks were turning the telltale shade of pink, "Huh?"

"You're blabbing and you know it. Something's the matter?" his tone was almost of amusement, much to her embarrassment, only increasing the light blushing.

_Everything burns...  
Everything burns...  
Everything burns _

_Watching it all fade away..._

_All fade away  
Everyone screams…  
Everyone screams_

A sigh passed through her lips, "We only have this last night, Kai. Not even twelve hours due to my flight... We might not see each other ever again after that." her head turned away from him, not that she was seeing him properly anyway. Her voice lowered, "I'm not looking forward to that."

_Watching it all fade away... _

His lips got even closer to her ear, "I want you to do me a favour. Will you, Miss Blanchett?"

Quirking an eyebrow at how he directed her and at the sudden change of subject, she only nodded.

_While everyone screams  
Burning their lies,  
Burning my dreams _

"If I know Boris and Voltaire's way of thinking, which I do, they're probably trying to find us. Especially you, since finding me is easier. But I'm protected by the BBA as long as I stay in and with the BladeBreakers. Still, they'll manage to intercept any call or mail I'd send to you. So, there's no way for us to contact each other." Her eyes saddened at hearing him say that. Not that she didn't know that, but **hearing** it was different, "Because of that, I want you to promise me we'll see each other again."

_All of this hate,  
And all of this pain  
I'll burn it all down,  
As my anger reigns _

_Till everything burns_

"But how can we be sure?"

A light shrug, "We can't, really. But I sure as hell will try to make it happen. Promise me?"

_Everything burns  
Watching it all fade away  
Everything burns _

"I promise. But I-" his lips brushed hers, interrupting her.

"Shut up."

_Watching it all fade away_…

Another song had started at that moment while the last guitar accords from the last one sounded. She broke the kiss, but kept her lips almost in contact with his, her silver eyes shining in appreciation at the new accords that reached her ears, "I know this song..."

_Put down the magazine and get off the phone  
'Cause there's a place I wanna show you and it won't take long _

Take a ride  
Take a ride

It's looking like we're getting there  
Over here, coming clear  
Place that has no rhymes, or times, or crimes

Just good times,  
Just good times!

Take me away…  
To a place where the good times, good times roll  
Don't let me stay…  
In a place where this hate can steal my soul

Got myself worked up over nothing today  
All this trash in my head I gotta throw it away

It's alright,  
It's alright

It's looking like we're getting there  
Over here, coming clear  
Place that has no rhymes, or times, or crimes

Just good times,  
Just good times!

Take me away…  
To a place where the good times, good times roll  
Don't let me stay…  
In a place where this hate can steal my soul

This is it, I'm finally here,  
And all the blurry lines are clear  
And everything that I can't see,  
Seems to make more sense to me,  
Why the hell can't I just let it go, let it go, yeah

Take me away, away  
Where the good times, good times roll, roll  
Don't let me stay, stay  
Where this hate can steal my soul

Let the good times roll  
Let the good times roll  
Take me away  
Let the good times roll  
Take me away  
Let the good times roll…

««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««

The day was finally here. It had come, unfortunately. Everyone woke up lazily in the hotel room, knowing exactly what would happen. Iris would go back to her country, and they, to theirs, on the other side of the globe.

Breakfast was eaten fairly slowly, few words were exchanged. But contrary to their will, time seemed to pass fast. And then, saying good-bye to the Europeans left the Lusitanian girl sadder than she already was feeling.

"Awwwwwwwww, Iris... Ah'll miss ya..." Rosemary sniffed softly on her friend's shoulder, "It's not fair!"

"I know, Rosie. I know." She patted her back comfortingly, rolling her eyes discreetly over her head.

"Ah'll miss t'at too... Som'one tah call mey t'at. No one do's 'round t'ese parts. They say it's uncouth… Or at least a certain someone does." everyone chuckled at that.

"Well, we're boys; what did you expect? Our hobbies aren't exactly making nick-names for each other, right?" Enrique put in, offended.

"So what, it could be. After all, being a playboy isn't working too much and isn't a career with a great future for you, huh, Enrique?"

As the Italian glared at a smirking Iris, the rest of them snickered. Said girl finally turned to the Demolition Boys. "Meh, we just met up again and we're already saying good bye..."

"No one told you to go. You can stay with us." Tala suggested, smirking slyly, "Like the old times, eh?"

"Hn, the old times... Yeah, it could be." She pretended to think, "Let me see if I remember... 'Oh, I know! Let's try to find a plan to get out of here! Ups, I forgot, there are cameras everywhere and Boris must've have heard all that'..." she laughed at the memory of the younger version of Tala saying that to them once. Bryan, Ian and Spencer weren't too far behind, as they too remembered that.

"Haha, very funny." The redhead's cheeks coloured a bit at that.

"Aww, poor Yuriy..." the silver eyed beauty giggled softly, walking up to him and pecking his cheek. She hugged him tight, "I'll miss you all, but especially you."

He sighed softly, hugging her back, "I know. Hope we'll see each other again though, Rin."

"We will. That, I promise you. Whatever it takes. Take care."

The boy chuckled, "I'm not your son, you know."

She snorted, slapping his arm, "Nor do I want one!"

"Pff, that's what you say now." he continued quietly and in Russian, as not to let the rest of the BladeBreakers (at least) to understand, "Besides, poor Kai, no? I'm sure he'd like one in the future."

Iris pulled back from the hug, eyes narrowed, "I **won't **have any children and that's that! And you know it!"

"Whatever you say!"

"Grr!" she turned her back to him as he laughed, ignoring him, "Hmph!" she hugged Spencer instead, sticking her tongue out at her so-called best friend, "Meh, fine! At least, Spence here won't make fun of me!"

The blond boy hugged her back, before ruffling her hair, "Of course not." He winked, "Don't do anything stupid while we're gone, got it?"

A quiet giggle left her lips, "Got it." She passed on to Bryan, hugging him briefly.

"Don't put yourself into trouble."

"Won't!" she winked at him, turning to the shortest member of the team, "And you, be careful, do you hear?"

"**What**!You're the one who was always getting into trouble with Boris, not me!" Ian crossed his arms across his chest, glaring at her sideways.

"Well, maybe, but just because I snapped back at him. You were the one getting caught when we went plotting around the Abbey. Am I wrong?" she smirked as he kept his mouth shut, while the others snickered. "But I'll miss ya, shorty."

"Shorty... Hmph!" but a smile lifted the corner of his lips, "Same here, kid."

"Kid! Yeah, right!"

"You may be taller, but I'm older than you!"

As the bus got closer to the large airport after picking them up, the BladeBreakers were quieter than ever. Not even Max was his usual perky self and cheering them. And when it arrived finally, Iris's eyes didn't leave her hand, which held Lugiohan tightly, '_It's almost time._..'

The check-in was made in silence. The flight to Portugal was sooner, only in 2.30 hours. Which passed far too quickly in everyone's opinion.

"The passengers from the flight 8547 from TAP airlines, direct line from Moscow to Porto, please make your way to gate 24." The monotone voice of the airport said. It would never know the sadness it brought to six teenagers.

"Oh man, it shouldn't be this way..."

Iris hugged an overly emotional Max and a quite sad-looking Tyson. As she shook hands with Chief and pecked Ray's cheek, she knew he was watching her. She turned to look at said boy. Standing there, emotionless, eyes as reddish as she'll always remember, the slate hair falling over them gently. Pale skin, full lips and slightly muscled. '_Kai... Just how much you changed me in only a few weeks.'_

Looking into her eyes, he saw sadness. Which matched his own, even if he hided it from the others. She seemed to want to say something to him, but then, stopped herself. Her eyes, which had been staring at the floor, were raised to meet his as if in slow motion, "I have nothing to give you, like what you've given me." She fingered the silver ring in her thumb, smiling softly.

"You've given me enough, trust me." Suddenly, he smirked, "But I'm really hoping that we're not changing into a hopeless romantic couple now, huh?"

Dark eyebrows narrowed, "Just shut up and kiss me, Hiwatari..." she pressed her lips to his almost desperately, not really caring if the others were seeing them or not. Not now; not anymore. They both knew that this would be the last time for a long, long period. Lips parting and tongues meeting briefly, the kiss ended all too soon. They both ignored the nervous coughs and clearing of throats from the rest of the team.

"Last call for the flight 8547 from TAP airlines, direct line from Moscow to Porto. Passengers, please make your way to gate 24."

Kai picked up her back pack from the ground, giving it back to her, "You need to go."

"I know..." she turned her back to him, sighing softly, already being right in front of her gate. The one door that would separate them. Just before heading to it, she looked back at them all, '_I'll miss you. All of you.' _Tilting her head backwards, she sighed, '_Ten too... wherever she is now..' _her stare lingered on Kai afterwards. '_But most of all… You.'_

The others didn't seem to notice, but he did. Those silver blue orbs, once filled with fear, then with friendship and (did he dare to admit it?) love, were now brimming with fresh crystalline tears. The silent tears she allowed herself to cry. No sound, only the sole tears.

With a last bright smile to them all and shedding of one of those tears, she turned her back to her friends for good, never looking back. Walking through the doors, they closed behind her with a soft whoosh.

'_We'll see each other again, BladeBreakers. But in opposite sides and teams. Good luck, for the Dominatrix team will be waiting.' _A smirk played upon her lips as she boarded the bus which would take her to her plane.

_Fin_

_

* * *

_

**Thanks 2:  
**Tenebrae Rosa: **thnx 4 thinking so. I got into the mood 4 the battle, so, I decided 2 work on it a bit more :P it was 2 boring once I read it over, so I changed that. I wanted 2 make it even a bit better w/ Bryan & Iris's part, but then, I was just tiring myself out & gave up. Meh, 2 much work xD**

hiwatarisaori: **thank u :D ah, dun worry, just a review w/ "I liked that!" is enough 2 make me feel good xD Also, I'm very, very happy u liked chap 10. I had a lot of fun when writing it & I thought it flowed naturally, so, glad u enjoyed it ;) &, well, I can't think of another term other than "Phoenix" 4 Kai :P It just… fits! xDD Anyways, hope u liked this last chappie as well & I hope u like the sequel just as much ;)**

**Dark:** **Okie, I'm very proud of this piece of crap xD Next week, the sequel will come out, **Dark Past, Haunted Future**. Yeah, know that line from somewhere, don't u:P Though that one's not complete yet, so around chap 9, u'll have 2 hold up, ne. Still, plz review. & of course, suggestions r now welcome, since the sequel is yet 2 b completed. Even if I have the main idea 4 it. It'll probably have around 15 chaps, give or take a few. & I sure hope u'll like it as well.**

**Ja ne.**


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